Return to Times of Yore
by GundamWingFanatic90
Summary: When Rosette went to bed the night before, she was in 1924. When she woke up the next day, she was in Eden… unmistakably 54 years in the past. Rated PG 13 for swearing and innuendoes. Please read and review! Final chapter up!
1. Scene 1: Rosette

Hello. I am the GundamWingFanatic90, writing my third Chrono Crusade story (though it's the first one I've put on this site). I hope that you enjoy it.

Summary: When Rosette went to bed the night before, she was in 1924. When she woke up the next day, she was in Eden… unmistakably 54 years in the past.

**_WARNING:_** This fic is more mature than what I usually write. It's more mature than PG-13 (T), but I don't think it's enough to be rated an R (M). This meaning, there is no lemon, but there are innuendoes and mature conversations in existence. If you feel that the rating needs to go up, please tell me so in either a review or an e-mail.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter is rated PG-13 for swearing, so if you are easily offended by such, do whatever you do in these kinds of situations.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade or anything affiliated with it. They all belong to Daisuke Moriyama-san.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore  
**By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 16 September 2005

**Rosette**

"Chrono?" I asked quietly as I lay on my bed in my room at the convent, too tired to even remove my Militia equipment and uniform, even my boots. My violet-haired companion turned to look at me where he sat in a chair next to my bed.

"Yes, Rosette? What is it?" he asked. I tried to phrase my question right, and as it was, it took me a second to think of what to say.

"What was it like… before Mary Magdalene came to _Eden_?" I inquired gently. He smiled a little, a sad, nostalgic sort of grin, and then began to speak.

"It was a lot of fun. I'm sure that you saw how it was when Mary was with us in my memories, but…" he trailed off for only a second before continuing, "Those were good times, even before she came, but I was so hollow, angry inside, for killing all of those demons. I didn't actually forgive myself until she came…" He continued to speak, but I found myself unable to concentrate on his words, falling into the oblivion of sleep.

"Chrono…?" I whispered half-coherently. Truthfully, I wasn't fully aware of what I was saying. Chrono stopped talking for a second.

"Yes?"

"I love you… Goodnight…" I could sense his smile, my eyes slipping shut.

"I love you, too, Rosette. Goodnight."

* * *

A sudden shriek startled me from my slumber, and I sat up quickly, my heart pounding. My gaze was met with a startled, catlike persona. I released an answering yell of surprise at the demon, and whipped my Gospel gun up to point it at her face. A door burst open behind me, and several sets of pounding footsteps told me that several others- probably demons, themselves- had just entered the room, which appeared to be a lab of some sort.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" I shouted. "AND WHERE THE HELL AM I?" The cat-woman scuttled backwards, hissing, to hide behind a console, and as the footsteps grew louder behind me, I grabbed my other gun- full of Sacreds- out and scrambled to my feet, ready to meet any threats head-on as I pointed one gun towards the approaching figures. Surprisingly, I was able to do that while at the same time, keeping my focus on the cat-woman.

"WHO ARE YOU, DAMMIT?" I shouted again. She poked her head out from behind the console and gulped at the sight of my guns.

"I-I'm Sh-Shader the S-Sinner…" she muttered meekly. I blinked. 'The Sinner'? The footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and I turned my gaze to the newcomers, deeming that this 'Shader' wasn't a threat. What I saw was four humanoids, staring down the barrel of my Gospel. My eyes narrowed as I caught sight of the familiar face of my arch-enemy.

"Aion!" I snarled, moving both of my guns to point at his head. "Where the hell are we, you bastard?" He blinked a couple of times at the foul insult, but shrugged a little, which made me tighten my hold on my triggers.

"We're on Eden. But… who are you?" he replied. Now it was my turn to blink.

"Eden? Where's Joshua?" He looked dumbfounded.

"Who's Joshua?" My eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Joshua Christopher, my brother! Where is he, you idiotic birdbrain of a demon?" His expression didn't change.

"I don't know anyone called Joshua." I was downright confused, now, though I made sure it didn't show on my face. He was telling the truth. I could see it in his eyes. He didn't know Joshua. But then… Suddenly my eyes widened.

"What year is it?" I asked frantically. All of the demons seemed to be taken aback.

"Um, I don't know. Demon or human?" a white-haired demon with a cowboy hat on countered.

"Human, you dolt!"

"I think they call it, '1870', or something like that." replied a rather pretty female in a cowgirl outfit, which I thought was scandalous, how revealing it was. However, I ignored this small detail as the year sank into my thoughts, and my breath shortened, my eyes dilated, and my head spun.

"18… 1870…?" I breathed. "I… I'm 54 years… in the past…?" There were collective gasps from around the room, but I managed to shake it off, raising my guns back to level with the middle of Aion's forehead. "You bastard! What did you do?" Now, it seemed his ire was raised.

"Me? ME? I didn't do a frickin' thing!" he exclaimed. I, feeling my temper spark again, marched right up into his face and waved my gun under his nose, poking him in the chest with my other.

"Of course it was you! How the hell else would I be able to go back in time 54 years? 'Cause we sure as hell don't have that kind of technology at the Order!"

"WELL, I DIDN'T DO IT! YOU MUST'VE DONE SOMETHING, 'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY, EITHER!" he shouted. I ground my teeth to keep from shooting him right then and there, instead deciding to shout back.

"YOU LYING BASTARD OF A DEMON! YOU'VE CAUSED ME SO MUCH TROUBLE, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE YOU? FIRST, YOU KIDNAPPED MY BROTHER AND GAVE HIM CHRONO'S HORNS, THEN YOU TOOK SATELLA'S SISTER FROM HER, AND THEN YOU ABDUCTED AZMARIA, MADE CHRONO GO BERSERK- CAUSING HIM TO DRAIN HALF MY LIFE AWAY IN THE PROCESS- AND YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THE GALL TO SAY YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING? **YOU BASTARD! I OUGHTA KILL YOU RIGHT HERE, JUST FOR THAT!**" I cocked my gun and shoved it into his throat, preparing to pull the trigger, but suddenly I was yanked back and put into a chokehold by strong arms. I flailed my own arms around, my guns waving up and down in the air, unsuccessfully trying to get out of the hold, but when I kicked backwards and down, hard, before bringing my foot upwards even harder, the person yelped and released me so that I got away and stood between Aion and the other, one gun pointing at each. My breath came strained to me, as if I had just run a mile or more, and my limbs trembled before an unnaturally high-pitched, but unmistakable voice sounded from the figure to my right.

"A-Aion… do something!" My head whipped around to gaze at the violet-haired man crouching, doubled over, on the ground, his Indian-like cloak pooling around him as he sweated faintly. My breath shortened again, and I found myself on the verge of hyperventilating.

"C…Chrono…?" I breathed. If I had not had the strong constitution I had, I would have fainted right then and there. As it was, I just lowered my gun from my would-be companion, staring at him openly. My eyes narrowed suspiciously, and I eyed Aion and the others on that side of the room warily.

"You're telling the truth…?" I asked slowly, almost wanting to not believe them. He nodded, still glaring at me.

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU THIS WHOLE TIME, DIMWIT!" he exclaimed, exasperated and angry. I twitched once before holstering my gun and leaping at the white-haired demon, getting him in a headlock and giving him my 'Super Atomic Noogie Attack'.

"You imbecile! How was I supposed to know you were telling the truth? And I'm not a dimwit, you dimwit!" I yelled. He just yelped repeatedly in response.

"Owowowowowowowow!" he shouted. Several snickers met my ears, and I turned a death glare onto Shader and the other Sinners- sans Chrono, he was still recovering from the kick to his groin. The white-haired demon gave me a thumbs up and an appraising look.

"Hey, good job, kiddo." he said, causing me to pause in my relentless assault on Aion's head. "I think you're the first one to ever fully put both Chrono and Aion out of commission in the same day… no, out of commission, ever." He and the other three began snickering again, and Shader and the woman and white-haired man soon found themselves rolling on the ground as Aion managed to get loose, where I kicked him in the stomach and he fell to the floor, disabled. However, I turned my gaze to Chrono where he was beginning to get up, and I walked to him and stood over him before bending down to try to help him up.

"Sorry about that, Chrono." I muttered, extending a hand to him. "You surprised me." He gave me an incredulous look and straightened up by himself.

"How the hell do you know my name?" he growled. I blinked.

"Oh… you didn't hear the shouting match, did you?" Shader asked teasingly. She had come out from her hiding place, it seemed, when I began to give Aion my noogie. Chrono blinked, dumbfounded.

"Shouting match…?" he inquired confusedly. A sweatdrop formed on the pretty lady's head.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" she asked. He just blinked at her.

* * *

Okay, there's Chapter 1. Hope you liked it. This fic's going to be kinda long, so please bear with me. I'm planning on updating every day or two, so keep a watch on the update things! (grins) Okay, I'll post Chapter 2, now, so stay tuned!

-Fanatic


	2. Scene 2: Past, Eden, Rosette

Hey, I'm back with Chapter 2- a rather short one, might I add- so I hope you like it. It's a little slow, but don't worry, the romance picks up in alittle bit. Enjoy!

Summary: When Rosette went to bed the night before, she was in 1924. When she woke up the next day, she was in Eden… unmistakably 54 years in the past.

**_WARNING:_** This fic is more mature than what I usually write. It's more mature than PG-13 (T), but I don't think it's enough to be rated an R (M). This meaning, there is no lemon, but there are innuendoes and mature conversations in existence. If you feel that the rating needs to go up, please tell me so in either a review or an e-mail.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore  
**By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 16 September 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

"So… You're from 54 years in the future…?" Chrono asked, turning his gaze to meet mine in a clash of sky and flame. He finally seemed to comprehend what the other Sinners and I were saying. He frowned at me.

"So tell me. If this is true, what is your name, and what is the world like in the future?" he asked. I arched a golden eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Technology, geography… us." he replied, his gaze unwavering. I turned my gaze up to the ceiling, before pulling out my Gospel gun and unloading it.

"First of all, my name is Sister Rosette Christopher, with the Magdalan Order Militia. I'm an Exorcist." I began. "My partner is Chrono of the Broken Horns, and I am his Contractor. He is also known as Chrono the Sinner. We go around, taking care of demons that would threaten the world… and stuff like that. As far as technology goes… this, my friends, is my Gospel." I held out the bullets to show them. When Shader reached forward to touch it, I brought it back, warning, "Don't touch them- they're holy bullets. They'll hurt you if you make contact with them." Shader and the others nodded, and I put the bullets on a table in front of us next to the Gospel gun, before emptying my other gun of its Sacreds and placing the pistol on the table as well. "The Gospels- those ones- are strong enough to take care of most demons. In fact, I think the only demons they haven't actually been affected much are you guys. I haven't tried them on Chrono." I added with a wink, before holding out the Sacreds. "These are the Sacreds, weaker versions of the Gospel. They'll take care of most lower-class demons and poltergeists, and Legion, too. They also don't have as much recoil as the Gospel." I set them down next to their gun before emptying the pouches at my hips. Spirits, Holy Water, Cross Barriers… everything went onto the table. Shader eagerly pointed to the Spirits.

"What're those?" she asked. Genai, the white-haired demon, and Rizelle, the pretty lady, nodded in agreement.

"Yes, do tell." Rizelle murmured. I laughed slightly. These Sinners were actually pretty nice to be around, once I got past the initial shock and surprise.

"Those are the Spirits." I explained, but my expression darkened a bit as I continued, "Those haven't been tested, yet, but the Elder told me what they generally do and are. Basically, the Elder sealed demons into them, and when they're fired, the demon in the bullet is released to fight whatever you fired it at." Aion and Viede- the tall, usually silent one- frowned in unison, whereas the others, save Chrono, just seemed intrigued.

"Demons sealed in bullets…" Shader murmured. "Ingenious! Completely and totally brilliant!" I pointed to the Cross Barriers.

"Those, if you set them up, create a barrier that traps anything evil or demonic inside it." I said, ignoring Shader's musings. My face fell, though my smile remained. "We've had to use it on Rizelle and Chrono both. Rizelle, to sever her control over the passengers of a train, and Chrono… containment and when recovering from a stab through the heart." I left out the detail that Aion was the one who stabbed Chrono, as I moved on to the Holy Water. "Standard issue Holy Water. Guaranteed to burn demons just by touching the vial, if you drink it, you're dead." I sighed and pulled back as I patted my pouches and found the last item that I had not shown them. The Watch. I withdrew it slowly, fixing my gaze on its still-illuminated surface, which showed how much time I had left. Not much, and not enough. I felt someone hovering over my left shoulder, and a second later, Chrono's voice echoed through my ears.

"What's that?" he asked. I closed my eyes, swallowing forcefully. I shook my head with a small smile, reaching up to put the Watch in its rightful place, around my neck.

"This is… the Life Clock, the Watch, whatever you want to call it." I whispered. "It's the symbol of my contract with you. It shows how much time I have left to live, and also limits how much of my soul you absorb. I only release the seal in the direst of situations, when we're in need of your demon form." I pulled away from him and began to gather up the stuff on the table again. I loaded the different magazines back into either the guns or the pouches, and put the Cross Barriers and Holy Water back where they should be before stepping back and looking over the six Sinners that had so easily become my friends.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked. Rizelle glanced over at Genai, Aion, and Chrono.

"Who's up for a drinking contest?"

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Okay, there's Chapter 2. I hope you'll tell me what you thought of it, so go ahead and click on that little button in the left-hand corner, and submit a review… (giggles) Mmmkay! Have fun, and stay tuned for Chapter 3! 

-Fanatic


	3. Interlude 1: Present Day, Chrono

Hey, GundamWingFanatic90 here, with yet another chapter of RtToY. I'm sorry if you think that it's going kind of slowly, but this fic is more romance than action, so I apologize to anyone who wants action/adventure action. If you want that, then you'll probably have to look somewhere else. Ah, well, if you are reading this and like it, then wait no more! On with Chapter 3! (and a special thank you to everyone who reviewed the last two chapters!)

Summary: When Rosette went to bed the night before, she was in 1924. When she woke up the next day, she was in Eden… unmistakably 54 years in the past.

**_WARNING:_** This fic is more mature than what I usually write. It's more mature than PG-13 (T), but I don't think it's enough to be rated an R (M). This meaning, there is no lemon, but there are innuendoes and mature conversations in existence. If you feel that the rating needs to go up, please tell me so in either a review or an e-mail.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore  
**By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 19 September 2005

**Present Day, Chrono**

"Rosette! Rosette?" I called through the door to her room. She had fallen asleep the night before as I sat next to her bed, telling her about how life had been in _Eden_ before Magdalene came. Now, it was about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and she still hadn't come out. No one had seen her all day, and no one had seen her exit her room, via the window or the door.

"Rosette! Open up! It's way past time to get up!" I shouted. When there was no reply, I growled, my fangs glinting as my eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and then I opened the door…

"Huh?" There was no one there. The bed was unmade, as if she had been sleeping in it and then vanished. "Rosette? Rosette!" I noticed a shade-like thing on the bed, and went over to it, only to see that it was Rosette. She seemed to be sleeping, but the thing was… she was translucent! I tried to put my hand on her shoulder, but when it turned out that she was intangible, as well, I panicked, and ran to get the Elder, Father Remington, and Sister Kate. Running through the halls, I called their names repeatedly.

"SISTER KATE! FATHER REMINGTON! ELDER!" I shouted. As I approached Sister Kate's office, the Head Nun and Remington both poked their heads out into the hallway, seeming to be aggravated and baffled, respectively.

"Chrono! What in heaven's name are you shouting about?" Sister Kate inquired. I halted at the door, bending over double and panting.

"Rosette… is gone… but she's… there at the same… time…!" I choked out, coughing a couple of times. "You need… to see this…" They looked at each other for only a second before coming out and starting down the hall towards Rosette's room at a run. I followed closely, until we came to the space that belonged to my best friend, my lover. We entered the room with haste, and I pointed over to the bed, where the half-existent form of my Contractor lay. With a pang, I realized that she was slowly fading. Sister Kate, upon seeing Rosette's state, turned to me, but I was already out the door, nearly flying down the halls and across the grounds to the Elder's hut. I burst into the small building and literally grabbed the Elder by the back of his lab coat before rushing back up to Rosette's room.

"Why, Chrono, my lad, whatever is the hurry?" Elder asked, not at all perturbed by the swift motion. I didn't answer, instead skidding to a halt outside of the familiar door and all but throwing him and myself inside. Sister Kate and Father Remington looked up at us as we entered, and the Elder, instantly noticing the situation, nodded and sent me to get some things from his hut. I was back in a flash, and he began to take readings from what was left of my Contractor. When shock registered on his face, I began to worry even more than I already was.

"Elder?" Sister Kate ventured. He shook his head, bewildered beyond belief.

"She's traveling… back in time…" he muttered. "But… I don't know how…"

"How far back?" I exclaimed. He looked up at me.

"54 years."

* * *

Meow. There's Chapter 3 done. /sighs/ Phew. So, that's about 3/20 or so done… Anyways, please leave a review!

-Fanatic


	4. Scene 3: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay, then, here's a long un for those of you who I know wanted it. Hope you like it!

Summary: When Rosette went to bed the night before, she was in 1924. When she woke up the next day, she was in Eden… unmistakably 54 years in the past.

**_WARNING:_** This fic is more mature than what I usually write. It's more mature than PG-13 (T), but I don't think it's enough to be rated an R (M). This meaning, there is no lemon, but there are innuendoes and mature conversations in existence. If you feel that the rating needs to go up, please tell me so in either a review or an e-mail.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 26 September 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

I laughed heartily at the sight before me, though I was only about half-aware due to the alcohol in my system. Aion was passed out on the floor; Rizelle was poker-faced in her chair, a mountain of about 734 shot glasses stacked in front of her; Chrono sat across from Rizelle, seeming bored, his own mountain of 735 shot glasses spreading across the table towards me; Genai was singing something terribly off-key to my left, dancing wildly with an utterly intoxicated Shader; and Viede, who hadn't touched more than 4 glasses of Scotch, was watching the whole thing, much like I was, from the sidelines. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that I'd have a humongous hangover in the morning, but I paid it no mind, instead enjoying the moment as long as possible.

"Yeh knoooow, Chronooo," Genai was now slurring, "if you drrrink much morrre, yeh mayht die of alcohawl poishoning!" I blinked. Could demons really die of alcohol poisoning?

"Yeah, Ku-hic-ro-no!" Shader exclaimed, hiccupping in the middle of her sentence. "Eeether that, er yer hooornsh'll be sho drooownned wish likker that yeh'll hafta geyt a Cooonnntracter teh reshtore yer Asshtruhl." I took a moment to translate what she said. 'Either that, or your horns'll be so drowned with liquor that you'll have to get a Contractor to restore your Astral.' Yeah. That about summed it up. Suddenly feeling melancholy without my partner in his 12-year-old form by my side, I rose from the table, swaying dangerously as the world spun around me. The current Chrono looked up at me, his usual poker face still in place.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. I could swear that there was a hint of concern in his crimson eyes.

"I… I'm just gonna get some air." I said. Surprisingly, I was sobering up quite quickly, no longer slurring though I could feel a migraine-class headache coming on. "I'll be okay, don't worry. Keep drinking, I dare ya." With that, I turned and walked out of the dining room and out into the cool night air. I remembered the layout of _Eden_ well, much to my amazement, and I guessed that it must have been from what I'd seen of it in Chrono's memories. I walked over to the edge of the floating platform and sat down, drawing my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on their caps, wrapping my arms around my shins in the process. A long time ago, I may have been scared at the extreme height at which I now sat, but as I said, that was a long time ago, and this was now. All of the times I had flown with Chrono in his demon form had helped to dispel that fear, and I could not sense it returning any time soon. I gazed out over the land far below, not truly seeing it, and before long, I felt a familiar, and yet, alien presence behind me, hearing his footsteps a second after.

"Hello, Chrono. Who won?" I asked without turning around. The wind played with my hair and cooled my hot face, flushed from the alcohol running rampant through me. I knew the answer to my question even before he shrugged and told me,

"Rizelle." He sat down next to me after a second's hesitation, and when he did, I could see a redness creeping up the sides of his neck and face, all the way up to the tips of his delicately pointed ears. We were silent for a long time, each lost in our own thoughts. Finally, he broke it with a question.

"So… how much time do you have left, Rosette?" I swallowed hard at the sound of my name coming from his lips. He said it the same way as he said it in my time. I guess that with my best friend, things didn't change, after all. I didn't care that my uniform's slits up the sides were revealing my bloomers and all of my legs, didn't care that I was getting cold, didn't care that I wasn't going to be able to find Joshua at this rate. All I cared about was the demon at my side, who didn't truly care about me. Or, at least, not much.

"Not enough. Not enough for anything." I whispered in reply. "Just enough to hopefully allow me to find my brother with a few seconds to spare." I looked over at him. "But at this rate, it doesn't seem like that'll ever happen. I'll die before I'm even born."

"What happened to convince you to make the Contract?" he asked. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eyes.

"Why do you want to know?" I countered.

"Because I want to know if I'm evil enough to coerce you into doing it, or if you did it of your own free will." he retorted. My ever-present smile widened a bit more, and I turned my gaze back to the ground far below.

"Circumstances landed you sleeping in a grave for 50 years, and when my little brother and I finally woke you up, your stores of Astral energy were so depleted that you were weak just from the first few movements you made." I said softly, nostalgic memories making my gaze soften and my smile broaden a little more. "You were in a 12-year-old form, a form that seemed the same age as I was at the time. I don't think that you'd be able to coerce me, no offense. No, I asked you to make a Contract with me so that we could help my brother." A sudden pain in my chest made me gasp, and I clutched the spot over my heart, my hand making my Militia uniform rumple a little as I grasped onto it.

_Agh, damn!_ I thought bitterly. _It really hurts this time!_ A hand fell onto my shoulder, and I turned to meet Chrono's steady gaze. Sweat slid down my face and into the collar of my uniform as he asked,

"What hurts?" I almost laughed. Almost.

"Maa, it's nothing." I ground out. "Just a little pain. It's not the worst, believe me…" I managed to flash him a weak grin. "If it was really bad, I wouldn't even be able to think straight." The spell ebbed, and I was able to breathe again, and I gave a half-hearted chuckle. "The only time that's happened was in San Francisco when we were fighting Aion… You went berserk and released the seal on your own… Now, I probably won't live 'til I'm 17." I smiled at him, a genuinely thankful smile. "But that's okay. As long as I find Joshua and you are both beside me, I'll have no regrets when I die." He was silent, gazing down at the earth below us, and I did the same, taking my left arm and hesitantly putting it around his waist. He jumped at the contact and scooted away. I felt a pang of hurt flash through my heart at the rejection, but I shook it from my mind and began to rise to my feet. Chrono did the same, but as he did, he turned green and clapped a hand to his mouth. I could tell that he was fighting bile. In an instant I was by his side, my hands on his shoulders.

"Sit down." I commanded. He did as ordered and sunk to his knees. "Now lean over the side of the ledge until it passes, ok?" Again, he followed my instructions, and pulled his hand away from his mouth to grip the edge of _Eden_. Nothing happened for a moment while I sat next to him, my side pressed against his for anchorage, one hand on one of his shoulders, and the other rubbing small circles on his back. Unfortunately, his sickness didn't pass, and he threw up over the side of the flying fortress, emptying his stomach into the air, coughing between retches and dry-heaves. I hurriedly pulled his violet hair out of his face, holding it with one hand while I rubbed circles on the middle of his back, softly singing my favorite song.

"_None sing so wildly well as the angel Israfel_

_And the giddy stars (so legends tell) ceasing their hymns,_

_Attend the spell of his voice all mute_

_Tottering above in her highest noon,_

_The enamored moon blushes with love_

_Yes, heaven is thine,_

_But this is a world of sweet and sours_

_Our flowers are merely flowers,_

_And the shadow of thy perfect bliss,_

_Is the sunshine of ours_." When I finished, Chrono had stopped his vomiting, and was bent over woozily, his forehead touching his forearms, which were perched on the edge. Without a word, I reached into my pouch and withdrew a plain white handkerchief with a cross embroidered on the corner, and, helping him to sit up straight, I gently dabbed away the sweat from his face before cleaning away the remainder of the bile from his chin.

"Ssh… you'll be okay…" I breathed in his ear. He groaned and slumped forward again, seeming to still feel ill, and I put my left hand on the center of his back, my right resting firmly on his shoulder.

"Put your head between your knees and breathe deeply, if you can." He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye, but did as he was told, not feeling up to arguing. A few seconds passed, and all I could see was the back of his red bandana and his purple hair, and then, his quiet voice drifted to my ears, croaky from the abuse his stomach had put his throat through.

"Why are you helping me?" I smiled a little.

"Because… you're my friend. If I was in my own time, I'd still help you." I proclaimed softly. "Even if I didn't know you very well, I'd help you. But as it is, you're my best friend, the one I know best out of the Sinners. I don't expect anything from you in this time, but I still care about you, and I'll help you, to all ends, whatever the cost."

"But why?" I stared at him, wondering if he had heard my speech at all. "I heard you, don't worry, but… why would you feel that way about me?" My soft grin returned, and I put my arms around his shoulders in a friendly hug.

"Because you've helped me in more ways than I can count. Please, Chrono, remember that… despite whatever comes in the future." I caught a flash of red as he turned his head and glanced up at me, but after that, it disappeared again, my companion putting his head down again.

"Why would I forget that?" he croaked after a moment. I remained silent, my smirk slowly fading.

"You'll see, I guess… in the near future…" My voice was quiet, my words fleeting, and in a little, I shook my head.

"Anyway, are you feeling a bit better, my friend?" I asked. A groan was his reply, and I laughed a little bit. "Good, 'cause you need to go get some sleep. Trust me, it works. That is, until you wake up in the morning." I added this with a wink and a smirk as I helped him to rise to his feet and put his arm across my shoulders, one hand holding his wrist while the other situated itself around his waist. He was too ill to argue, holding his stomach with his right hand as we made our way slowly to where I remembered his room being located. Once there, I unlocked it and we went inside. To my surprise, it was a pretty Spartan place, only containing the bare essentials for life. A twin-sized bed sat against the right wall where it met the one directly across from the door, and a nightstand sat next to the bed with a lamp on top. A desk and chair sat against the left wall with a lamp on the corner of it, as well. In the far wall there was the door to a closet, and a bathroom branched off next to the said storage space. With Chrono's groan and my own growing migraine in mind, I maneuvered us over to the bed and sat him down on its edge, helping him to lie on his back before removing his belt, coat, and boots. There was a lingering green tinge to his cheeks, so I hastily fetched a wastebasket from the bathroom and placed it beside his bed near his head, and, tired, I sunk gratefully into a chair that was conveniently located near his midriff.

"Ugh… do you people always drink this heavily here?" I asked him, making a mild attempt at humor. A small chuckle met my ears, and I could tell that he actually did have a sense of humor back in this time- not that I didn't think he did when I saw his memories, I just thought it was buried very, very deeply.

"No, not really. Just on special occasions." he replied. "Meaning every three nights, when Aion decides that it's a good time, or when Rizelle and Genai challenge each other to a drinking contest or two. Usually I don't participate too much, but…" I smiled a little.

"No, really? I couldn't tell." I retorted dryly. He managed to smile a little bit, but I didn't take much notice of it, slumping over to rest my head on my arms, leaning on the side of his bed.

"You don't mind… if I crash here tonight… do you…?" I asked haltingly, my voice fading in and out as I began to zone out. There was no reply, and soon after, I was drifting in a dreamless sleep.

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4 down… however many to go. Hope you liked it. 

Remember to leave a review!

-Fanatic


	5. Scene 4: Past, Eden, Rosette

Hey, everyone, sorry for the late update. My computer had a virus (darn virus!) and when dad went to delete the thing, it erased my hard drive! Argh! >O I was so mad! Luckily, I managed to get most of my files back, but I lost the ending to this story where I had typed it up. And it was so good, too! ;.; (cries) Ah, well. Thank you all for your patience, and thank you so much for reviewing! You really made my day! This chapter is dedicated to everyone who stuck with me!

**_WARNING:_** This fic is more mature than what I usually write. It's more mature than PG-13 (T), but I don't think it's enough to be rated an R (M). This meaning, there is no lemon, but there are innuendoes and mature conversations in existence. If you feel that the rating needs to go up, please tell me so in either a review or an e-mail.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter is the first chapter with any kind of innuendoes in it. If you are offended by that sort of thing, then please skip it. Alright, on with it, then!

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade or anything affiliated with it. They all belong to Daisuke Moriyama-san.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore  
**By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 16 October 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

The months passed quickly, the Sinners continuing their search for Pandaemonium's head, and me… well, I just hung around, helping where I could (there was really nothing else to do around the floating fortress). I got my own room the day after I arrived, and borrowed a couple of pairs of clothes- slacks and shirts, mostly- from Shader. I did a lot of the laundry- Chrono and Aion (amazingly) took turns helping me with that- and helped Shader in her lab, and I soon got to know all of them very well.

Viede was the tall, quiet one, preferring reading and chess to physical activity and defensive fighting to offensive. Genai was quite rambunctious, like me, quickly becoming one of my favorites, his wits and temper giving him an edge akin to mine in our often-occurring banter. Rizelle was the cold one, or so I was told. She seemed to like Genai a lot- she had a crush on him, as I would later learn- and, as one of the only three females on _Eden_, I found myself able to talk to her easily, if the occasion rarely arose where I needed to. Shader was the techno-geek of the group, more often than not shut up in her lab, not wanting to be disturbed (though I did see a lot of her, helping as I did). But when she was out, she was a riot, the comic relief of the crew. It was hard to believe how much warmth there was in that small group- they became like a second family to me. Those were good times.

They all changed a little, though, even as I watched from the sidelines. There began to be more laughter around, and Chrono even started to smile more. There wasn't much of a change, but there was enough to be noticed. Rizelle, Shader, and I even had fun chasing Genai around the sole time he dared to nick some of our unmentionables from the clotheslines.

"_GENAI! GET BACK HERE, YOU PERVERT!" Rizelle screeched, her face flaming as she gave pursuit after our wayward friend. Genai just laughed heartily and fled. Shader and I gave chase, as well, our own faces burning with embarrassment. When we didn't catch him 45 minutes later, the three of us put our heads together in a huddle, attempting to devise a plan to get our bloomers and bras back._

"_Well, we could…"_

"_No, that wouldn't work, he's too damn smart…"_

"_How about we…"_

_In the end, Rizelle turned into her true form and weaved an invisible web across a hallway, hiding in the shadows in wait. When Shader and I chased him down it, he got stuck in the web, and the three of us pounced on him. By the time we had all exacted our individual revenges on the poor demon, he was black and blue all over, unable to see out of either of his eyes, had an arm and both legs broken, and, to top it all off, we had given him a triple assault of my 'Double Super Atomic Noogie Attack'. The whole group- save Genai- was rolling with laughter when we told the story at dinnertime. Never again would he try to steal our unmentionables._

Needless to say, he never tried that stunt again. And Aion, my sworn enemy, became like an older brother to me, just as much- if not more- than Genai and Viede.

Chrono, however, was another story. While he did smile more and more, and even laugh increasingly often, I was concerned for him, though I tried not to show it most of the time. He always seemed to be angry at something for whatever reason, and even when he did grin and tell me he was fine, that anger and bitterness never left his eyes. The night we all got drunk again- the umpteenth time since I came four months beforehand- and the night that I let slip about Mary Magdalene, was the night I found out what.

We were all sitting- or dancing, whatever the case- around the dinner table that night, just like any other night. I was half-drunk, and Chrono was besting Aion and Rizelle both in yet another drinking contest- the first one he'd actually managed to stay conscious in without forfeiting after 926 shots of whiskey- while Shader and Viede did a swaying, wobbly jig around the room and Genai snored from a chair off to the side.

"Thuh head ove Paaandaemooonium **hic** containsh all thuh informashun thaaat we **hic** neeeed to follow shroooough wif are **hic** plaaaan." Aion slurred, the alcohol greatly impeding his speech. "Thuh proooblehm… ish thaaat… we dunno wuh-herrre it **hic** ish." I actually laughed out loud at this point, earning confused stares from almost everyone in the room. When I managed to get my mirth under control again, I smirked at Aion.

"Try lookin' in the Grand Canyon." I said, my words slurring only a little. "Even so, you'll need somethin' **hic** else to find it 'less you wanna look fer it by hand." Aion rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but whaaat?" he asked. I hiccupped a bit, giggling as I did so.

"Mary Magdalene." I drawled. "'The girl that could see the future', the 'Holy Maiden', the 'Saint'. She gots **hic** powers, that one. She can **hic** help you **hic** find Pandaemonium's **hic** head." A sudden motion from Chrono caught my eye just before he slammed his hand down on the table, also rising to his feet in the same motion.

"We shouldn't use an innocent girl to our ends." he said heatedly. "It's not right." He shot me a scalding glare. "I would've thought that you, as a nun, would know that and feel the same way." Then, aside to Rizelle, he muttered, "I quit. I'm headin' to bed." I huffed as he strode purposefully out of the room.

"Whass his problem?" I asked. Rizelle favored me with one of her 'sympathetic' glares.

"I don't know. Why don't you go ask him?" she hissed. I 'hmph!'d and stood up suddenly.

"Fine, I will!" I exclaimed loudly, and stalked out into the hall. I knew where he'd be, and made a beeline for the edge of _Eden_. That was one of his favorite places to sit, and even though he had said he was going to bed, I knew him too well to think that he'd just go to sleep when he had a lot to think about. Sure enough, he was there.

"Oi, you!" I cried out to him, the haze of drunkenness speedily fading from my mind and body. "What the **hell's** your problem?" He turned and gave me a vehement glare, which I pointedly ignored as I showered him with a matching glare of my own, standing next to him with my arms crossed over my breasts. "I know that you've been kinda moody lately, but this is ridiculous!" I uncrossed my arms and gestured to either side of myself before sitting down with a sigh. The sight of the land far below had always calmed me, for some reason. "Chrono, what's wrong?" He snorted derisively, the same disgusted sneer present on his face. Suddenly it hit me.

"_We shouldn't use an innocent girl to our ends." he said heatedly. "It's not right." He shot me a scalding glare. "I would've thought that you, as a nun, would know that and feel the same way."_

He wasn't angry at me or Aion or anyone else- he was angry at himself.

_Chrono wrenched the door open, only to be met with blinding, burning light and the sight of Pursuers standing over the charred remains of hundreds of other demons. Not even registering the fact that his armor was being burnt off and that his hair was being cut, he picked up the blackened corpse of what would have been a youngling, barely 5 or so years old. The harsh wind of Pandaemonium mixed with the Astral blasts of the Pursuers slowly caused the body to fall apart into ashes, and they blew away, back the way Chrono had come. Enraged, he then attacked the Pursuers with all he had. They didn't stand a chance._

_In the end, I watched from outside the memory as he stood among the decimated battlefield, the 100 demons that he had slain lying in disorganized piles around him. He had never recovered from the trauma._

"You shouldn't feel guilty for what you did, Chrono." I whispered, my hand slowly coming up to cradle the Life Clock against my chest. He blinked and looked over at me.

"You shouldn't feel guilty or angry at yourself for killing 100 demons." I said in clarification, though just as quietly and without averting my gaze from the plains below. I could sense his shock at what I said, and looked up at him.

"Who told you about that?" he asked. I smiled softly and prepared to tell him a story.

"No one told me." I began, grin fading. "In my time, you and I were in a battle, with… another powerful demon… and you were badly wounded by him. You didn't want to drain my soul even more by healing, though, so you shut yourself up in your mind and didn't let your Legion heal you. I was out for a week while you suffered, but when I woke up and found out about it, I…" I trailed off, attempting to gather my thoughts. "You wouldn't wake up when I came to you, so…" I took a breath. "In the Magdalan Order, there is a machine that can allow one person to enter another person's soul to purge them of evil spirits or demons. When you use this machine, we call it a 'Dive'." I looked up into his eyes in a clash of crimson and indigo that belied all emotion. "I 'dove' into your soul to find you. On the way, I had to see all of your memories, so that I could get to the real you… one of your memories that I witnessed was when you escaped from Pandaemonium with the other Sinners." I allowed a small smile to grace my lips as I closed my eyes in remembrance, and I lifted my hand to place it on top of his violet head, a gesture that we had always used to calm each other, a gesture of comforting. "You're not alone, you know. I know exactly how you felt when you were done with that battle, how you felt while it was being waged. I know your every emotion from that day, and I don't blame you for feeling that way."

"But how can you not?" he asked. He hadn't tried to move away from my hand, surprisingly.

"Because I love you, Chrono, and I care about you." I admitted softly. "If you hadn't killed those demons, they would have killed you, and Aion, and Shader, and Rizelle, and Genai, and Viede, without a second thought. The difference between you and them is that you feel remorse and regret for it. That just goes to show that you can care, too. You have a heart, resting right here." I turned to him, and placed my hand over his heart, feeling its steady beat beneath my palm. "And though you did something wrong, you shouldn't dwell on it. God forgives all people, no matter what. I know that He will forgive you, too, if you believe in Him. I know that I do." He lifted his eyes to meet mine.

"Why do you believe in Him?" he whispered to me. Our faces were slowly moving towards each other, only inches apart now, our eyes slipping closed unanimously.

"Because He brought me you." I breathed, and then gently brushed my lips against his. A gasp escaped us at the contact, but neither I nor he attempted to pull away. Instead, I kissed him again, harder. In a few seconds, we broke apart for air, hovering only a centimeter or so away from each other.

"I love you, Rosette…" he breathed against my mouth. I found a smile spreading across my lips.

"Really?" I asked. I felt him grinning.

"Yeah, really." he replied.

"I love you, too, Chrono." I whispered. And then, I kissed him again. All of our wants and needs became clear to each other, the kiss deepening to an intensity that I had never thought to reach before. In a few moments, we separated again, and we rose to our feet. I took his hands in my own and led him along the halls. When I asked, he told me that Shader was back in her lab, asleep, and the others were all in the dining room, still.

"How do you know?" I whispered. He smirked.

"I can hear them, and they're so drunk that they're broadcasting their thoughts." he said simply. I nodded with a grin, and we continued on to his room, where he suddenly pulled me against his chest again, diving in for another intense kiss as I palmed his door open, and we made our way in, closing the door and locking it behind us. In minutes, my habit and dress fell to the floor, forgotten, to join his coat, sleeves, headband, and vest, as we flopped onto the bed, all caution being thrown to the wind as, in the blackness of the room in the nighttime, we became one.

* * *

Ack. My face is so red right now, I could probably put a tomato to shame. That has got to be the most intense chapter thus far. Hope you liked it, though. (grins) Mmmkay, then, I have to go. Please read and review!

-Fanatic


	6. Interlude 2: Present Day, Chrono

Heya, everybody, I'm back with yet another chapter!  I hope you all liked the last one, and sorry about the shortness of all of the chapters- I wrote the whole fic out first and am now copying and pasting sections of it into individual chapters. It makes for good chapters, but damn, are they short! -.-; Well, here's number 6! Enjoy! Oh, yeah, and Happy Anniversary, mom and dad!

**_WARNING:_** This fic is more mature than what I usually write. It's more mature than PG-13 (T), but I don't think it's enough to be rated an R (M). This meaning, there is no lemon, but there are innuendoes and mature conversations in existence. If you feel that the rating needs to go up, please tell me so in either a review or an e-mail.

**_WARNING 2:_** Ummm, I don't think that there's any other stuff in here… Except Chrono getting hit in the head… (Blinks, wondering if she should tell them to skip this chapter or not)

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 19 October 2005

**Present Day, Chrono**

"Elder, how's it going?" I asked as I poked my head into the old man's lab, a tray of food balanced on one of my hands. He poked his head out of the large machine that he was working on, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Terrific!" he crowed. "After six months, I have finally managed to trace Rosette's Astral signal back to the day before you came and kidnapped- for lack of better word- Magdalene, and I've built a machine that can send you, my boy, back after her and bring her here again!" I nearly dropped the tray in shock.

"REALLY?" I shouted. I was ecstatic as the Elder nodded.

"Yes. I just have to test it, now… but what with?" he mused to himself. I thought for a second, and then, with an excited gasp, began to unload the tray onto a nearby table.

"Use this, Elder!" I exclaimed. He laughed, and powered up the machine as I tied a rope around the tray. A white, glowing portal opened up in the center of the room, and, with the Elder's nod, I threw the sheet of wood into the portal, keeping a hold of the end of the long rope. In a second, I felt a sharp tug, and I pulled on the line, bringing it back, only to have it crash into my face, sopping wet. When the dull pain in my nose subsided, I pulled the serving dish off of my face to look at it, only to be met with shock as there appeared a ring, caught on the tied part of the twine.

"What is it, what is it?" the Elder asked excitedly behind me. I pulled the ring off and showed it to him.

"I lost this ring at _Eden_… 54 years ago."

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Okay, another shortie there. I think I'll post the next one, too, just 'cause this one was so very short. And for anyone who is wondering how the ring came back through with the tray, it got caught onone of the knots in the rope. Okay, hope that cleared everything up.Please click the clicker on that little clickery button in the bottom-left hand corner of the screen, mmmkay? 

-Fanatic


	7. Scene 5: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay, here's the second-in-a-row chapter I promised y'all last time. I'm trying to post these before I have to get onto my Geometry homework, but I'll work on getting them up in a sec, after I finish typing the author's notes. Thanks to everyone for reviewing, and once again, Happy 20th Anniversary to my mom and dad!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter contains mentions of puking and some awkward conversations. If you do not wish to read about Rosette talking to Shader, then I suggest you skip over this chapter.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 19 October 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

I pulled myself up from the rim of the toilet for the third time that morning, cursing whatever I could think of. For the past several days, I'd been getting morning sickness, though I couldn't think of why…

'_Wait a second… morning sickness?_' I thought frantically. '_Could I be… no way! That can't be a possibility!_' When I was sure I wasn't going to puke again, I dressed as fast as I could and ran as if Satan himself was at my heels towards Shader's lab. Just as I opened the door, someone walked out, slamming into me and sending both of us crashing to the floor. I groaned, rubbing my bum, until a very familiar hand reached down to hover in front of my face.

"Sorry, Rosette. Are you okay?" Chrono asked. Startled, I looked up at him, and took his hand, laughing nervously.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I, uh, just need to talk to Shader for a few minutes, okay?" I said. "Alone." He gave me a concerned look, but nodded hesitantly, anyway.

"Okay… Hey, could you meet me when you're done? I'll wait for you by the North Pond." he said. I nodded.

"Sure, now out." Dodging around him, I shoved him into the hallway and shut the door, ignoring his cry of protest at the rough treatment, and turned to Shader. She was blinking at me in curiosity as I came over to her.

"Rosette? Is something wrong?" she asked me, concerned. I nodded, frantic.

"Yes, something is very wrong." I answered. "If you have the time, I need you to help me run some tests." She blinked.

"What kind of tests? What for?" I fidgeted nervously.

"Um, Shader?"

"Yes?"

"Are you familiar with any of the human hormones that indicate pregnancy?"

* * *

Ooh, a cliffie! Is Rosette going to be a mom, or not? (cackles insanely) Find out on the next installment of Return to Times of Yore! And please, leave a review! (imitates Son puppy-dog look… of DOOM!) 

-Fanatic


	8. Scene 6: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay, I'm on an updating role, here! Yeah! (poses with fist in air in pumping motion) Booyah! And thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, will review, and still reviews! You've all been so nice to me! (cries in gratitude) THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! (hugs everyone who reviewed) And now, to clarify a couple of things.

1. Because Rosette has gone back to the past does not mean that history will change. In the 'Present' era, her going back has already happened, so therefore nothing has changed. It was always like this, and everything had already happened by the time the manga picks up. I hope this makes sense to you.

2. It has been around 4 months up to this time. This is plenty of time for Rosette and Chrono to fall in love all over again. Therefore, when they had sex, they did it because they loved each other. Mmmkay, I'm done explaining now.

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter contains slightly mature conversations. Don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 19 October 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

I sat on a table, waiting for Shader to return with the results of the tests we had run. The knees of my pants were threadbare by now, from me twisting them in my nervousness. The feline demon finally entered, her brow creased.

"Well?" I asked anxiously. She looked at me and raised a brow.

"May I ask who the father is?" That simple sentence spelled it out for me, explained my sudden, though slight, gain of weight, and explained the morning sickness. It also knocked the breath out of me like a punch to the stomach.

"C… Chrono…" I stammered in a choked voice, taking deep, calming breaths to try to keep from hyperventilating. She noticed this and came over to rub my back.

"If you don't want it, I have something that can get rid of it…" she offered. My head snapped around so quickly that I got whiplash.

"WHAT?" I exclaimed. She nodded.

"It's a simple procedure, really." she explained. "You drink a special brew that I can make, and in the morning, the baby will be dead."

"NO!" I shrieked, causing her to jump away, tail bristling. "If there is one thing I will not do, it's murder my own child!" I took a deep breath again to steady myself. "I was just a little shocked, that's all." Shader seemed to have recovered from my outburst- it seemed that I was already more moody than normal- and nodded in sympathy.

"I hear you, Rosette." she said, and then turned a wry grin on me. "So, Chrono's the father, eh? I knew all along he had it in 'im." At my glare, she gulped, and fell silent while I calmed myself down.

"All I want to know is, how long is it going to take for the baby to be born? 'Cause I know that women don't usually get morning sickness until about their second month in." I asked flatly. She looked thoughtful for a few moments, and then turned to me.

"Well, this is a unique case, so I can't really tell, but…" she began. "The normal gestation period for a human is 9 months, as you know, but the time it takes for a demon to hatch from its egg is only about 1 ½ months. Since the baby is half-demon, half-human, it'll grow at a much faster rate than a normal human fetus, though still not as quickly as a demon embryo. I'd say you probably have about 3 months from the time of conception." I quickly did the math in my head. Chrono and I had slept together only one time, about 2 weeks ago, so…

"Shit." I muttered. "Shit." Shader blinked at me in confusion for about the third time that morning.

"What?"

"I'm already 2 weeks along." I murmured, turning to look her in the eye. "We only have about 2 ½ months before there's a baby running around _Eden_." I twisted the knee of my pants between my hands again. "The problem is, how should I tell the others? How should I tell Chrono, in that case?" Inwardly, I debated. There were only about 1 ½ months left until Chrono brought Magdalene back to _Eden_. The boys were all leaving today to go search for Pandaemonium's head. Chrono would be going to retrieve Magdalene tonight, and from there they would meet Aion, Viede, and Genai at St. Louis. After that, they would ride out West, which would take almost a month, and then they would go to the Grand Canyon to find Pandaemonium's head and bring it and Magdalene to _Eden_. If I told Chrono about my pregnancy, would it keep him from going to get the Holy Maiden, and change history? Or would he go get her, anyway? I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, and looked to Shader for help.

"Shader, should I tell him?" I asked. She seemed confused.

"Why wouldn't you? He loves children. He'd be thrilled!" she exclaimed. I released a half-groan, half-sigh in exasperation.

"Because what if he decides to stay here with me?" I asked. "If he does that, then history will change!" She cocked her head to the side.

"He won't decide to stay here." she stated simply. When I made to protest, she held up a hand. "He loves you very much- I know he does- but he also knows that Aion and the rest need him to retrieve Magdalene so that they can find Pandaemonium's head. If you assure him that you'll be fine, then he'll have to go." She shrugged. "He won't have any more excuses." I thought on this for a moment, but in the end, my answer came out negative.

"No. I won't tell him." I murmured. "I can't risk changing history more than I already have. Maybe… maybe someday he'll know… but right now, he can't have any knowledge of my pregnancy. Got it?" She nodded.

"Fine. I still think that he would go… But it's up to you." she replied. "Now go meet your man." I allowed a small smile to light up my face.

"Alright. But Shader?" I said. "Please… can we just keep this between you and me?" As an afterthought, I added, "And maybe Rizelle, too, since she's not going with them?" Shader nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah, sure."

"And Shader?"

"Yes?" She was beginning to sound slightly annoyed.

"Thank you… for everything." She smiled.

"You're welcome, Rosette."

* * *

Okay, then. I'm done for the day, methinks. So Rosette is pregnant. Doesn't that make you kind of admire her courage, though, how she decided to keep the baby even when she had the option of aborting it? Ah, good stuff. Alright, please leave a review! I look forward to hearing from everyone, and, yet again, Happy Anniversary, mom and dad! 

-Fanatic


	9. Scene 7: Past, Eden, Rosette

Heya, again. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You made my day! Unfortunately, I won't be able to post again until at least Sunday, due to the fact that I am going over to my cousin's house for the weekend. I hope you enjoy this chapter, though!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter contains nudity and some vague mentions/hints at what Chrono and Rosette did that one time. (snickers) Okay, I need to stop having dirty thoughts, here! Argh! (commences with pounding self in head)

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 21 October 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

After quickly changing into my dress in my room and grabbing all my ammunition and guns, I went and found Chrono where he had said he would be, by the North Pond. He looked slightly annoyed and nervous, fidgeting a bit with something underneath his cloak. As I approached, he heard me, and turned to me, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Rosette." he stated. I raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Who else would I be?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and held out his hand to me. I took it, confused, as I looked up into his beautiful crimson eyes.

"Chrono?" I asked. He smiled genuinely, and transformed into his true form before pulling me into his arms. I yelped with surprise, especially when he scooped me up bridal style and took off into the air, diving down toward the earth so far below. I threw my arms around his neck for support and buried my face in his shoulder as I felt my heart jump into my throat, but it was over soon, and we leveled out, soaring above the treetops in an area I knew quite well.

"Chrono?" I repeated. "Where are we going?" He shot me a sideways smirk.

"A little spot near St. Augustine's Church in Michigan." he replied. "I found it a few days ago, and really liked it. I wanted to share it with you." I smiled a bit more, and snuggled up to him even tighter.

"Thank you…" I murmured, and then with a sigh, I closed my eyes. "Could you wake me up when we get there? I didn't sleep too well last night." _Or the night before that, or the night before that, or the night before that_... I added mentally.

"Why didn't you tell anyone that you weren't sleeping well?" His voice in my ears startled me a little. _Oh yeah, horns. Great. Just great._

"What's so bad about having horns?" I released a sigh of exasperation.

"Nothing. I just can't hide anything from you, can I?" I asked teasingly. "You're too sharp for that." He smirked with one eyebrow raised.

"It's not that." he said. "You were thinking so loudly, I couldn't help but overhear." I rolled my eyes.

"Males." I said derisively, earning a pouting glare from my companion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. I just smiled with a laugh.

"Nothing." I replied. "But it helped me fall in love with you, if you're wondering." He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." we chorused at the same time, and then dissolved into a fit of laughter. Soon after, we fell silent- I went to sleep, Chrono just kept flying- and before I knew it, I was being shaken awake by strong arms. I opened my eyes to stillness, blinking in the light of sun filtering down through the treetops, and as I looked around, I instantly recognized where we were.

"Rosette? How are you feeling?" asked a deep tenor voice from above me. I looked up with a grin at my guardian demon, who seemed to have watched over me the whole time I was out.

"I'm fine." I said. It was the truth. He frowned.

"Are you sure? Your forehead was hot, and you were sweating a lot." he replied. "And even with that, you were shivering." I blinked, realizing that he was saying that I had a fever, and I actually giggled a little bit before wriggling out of his arms and hopping around a couple of times in front of him, just to prove my point.

"See? I'm okay, now." I said, but shuddered when a chill passed through me. "Well, maybe not. It is kinda hot here, and with you carrying me, I probably got a little overheated. There's a lake around here somewhere. Come on, I just need to cool off for a little bit. We can go swimming!" I grabbed his hand and dragged him through the woods, laughing all the way. Within a matter of moments, we had reached the lake, exactly where I remembered it being, and with a joyous whoop, I ran towards it, finally sitting down on the bank to take off my boots and socks. He crouched next to me, tilting his head to the side with one eyebrow raised.

"What are you doing?" he asked. I beamed at him from where I sat.

"I'm about to go swimming, if you don't mind." I proclaimed. "And you're coming with me!" He seemed confused for a few seconds longer, but that quickly turned to embarrassment when I got my shoes off and began shucking my Militia uniform, as well.

"Rosette! What are you doing?" he exclaimed, clenching his eyes shut. I blinked at him. After a second, I figured it out, a sly grin spreading across my face.

"Oh, I get it. You've never been swimming before, have you?" I asked accusingly, pulling my dress over my head to leave myself in my underclothes. He shook his head vehemently, cracking open an eye and then slamming it shut again when he saw that I was still indecently dressed. I glanced down at my attire and smirked even wider, an evil plan forming in my mind.

"Oh, Ku-ro-no…" I sang mischievously, a very feline grin coming to my lips. I knelt in front of him, turning his head from where he was facing away from me. "Will you swim with me?" He gulped, but didn't open his eyes. I exhaled noisily, my frustration beginning to mount. "Oh, come on. It's nothing you haven't seen before, remember?" He heaved a sigh and opened his eyes, a small smile lighting up his face as he looked up at me.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he admitted playfully. I smirked triumphantly.

"Good. Now, it's your turn!" I crowed, and in a flash, I had his cloak off over his head, and pulled his sleeves and vest off before he could register what was happening. He gave a startled yelp as I tugged his gun belt off, and covered my small hands in his own larger ones.

"I hate to ask again, but what the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed. I huffed, tossing the belt on the ground next to my own before placing my fists on my hips- only now noticing that they were slightly more rounded than before- and giving him an annoyed glare.

"I told you, you're coming swimming with me." I said simply. Sometimes, I amazed even myself with how much patience I could have- at least when it came to Chrono. "If you want to have dry clothes to change into again, I suggest you take them off before you get wet. It's quite uncomfortable to fly in soggy clothes, ne?" He pouted a bit, but in the end, my logic won out, and he stripped down. I raised my eyebrows when I found that he didn't keep anything on, and I began to take off my underclothes, too. When it was all said and done, I grabbed his hand and, after quickly taking his headband out of his hair for him, dragged him down and into the water up to our waists. With that, I began to teach him the finer points of swimming, including how to tread water, the 'doggy paddle', the breast stroke, and the back- and front-floats.

Later, after a water-war and a couple races, we lay on the bank, laughing and allowing the sun to dry our bodies. Chrono had his arms around me, his face buried in my bare midriff, his breath tickling my skin and sending a fluttering through my abdomen and up my spine, and both of us wore grins that couldn't seem to be erased. For a long time, I forgot about all my troubles- my shortened life, my newfound pregnancy, the problem with getting home again- and just lived for the moment, alongside the love of my life.

"Rosette?" he asked quietly. I blinked my eyes open, surprisingly tired from the exertion of the day's activities.

"Yeah, Chrono?"

"Are you alright? You smell different." he stated. My heart rate sped up as I became slightly nervous. I should have known that, as a demon, he'd be able to smell a change in my hormones! Dammit! I sighed, taking a deep breath before exhaling.

"I'm fine, silly. If it was anything you would have to worry about, I'd let you know." I finally scolded. "Trust me, it's nothing life-threatening. Just a little condition that'll be gone in a couple of months." I felt him blink a couple of times, his eyelashes tickling my stomach and making me giggle with suppressed laughter. He batted his eyelids again, confused.

"Chrono, stop blinking! That tickles!" He blinked again before lifting himself up into a sitting position.

"You've got a condition?" he asked, a concerned frown marring his handsome features. "What is it?" I shook my head.

"It's nothing serious, like I said. Just a little change that's going on in my body. It's something that most girls go through, though I'm getting it a little early in life." I replied, but shook my head with a smile. "Don't worry about me, though. You have a long trip ahead of you, starting tonight. You have to get Mary Magdalene from the Order. You're going to need your wits about you to pull a stunt like that." He peered at me skeptically for a few more minutes before heaving a sigh and shaking his head. I guess that he knew I wasn't going to tell him what I was going through.

"I'll be fine, Rosette. It's you I'm worried about." He laid his head back on my stomach, and I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, closing my eyes and attempting to enjoy the time we had together.

"I just wish you would trust me enough to tell me what you're going through so that I can help." he murmured, so quietly that I almost didn't catch it. I moved my left hand from his shoulder to rest over his ear, gently tracing the edge to the pointed tip and back before stroking his violet locks in a soothing, rhythmic motion.

"I wish I could tell you, too. But I can't." I whispered. "I can't risk changing history."

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Okay, then, there's the last chapter for a couple of days. I hope you guys liked it! Please leave a review! Until the next time, sayonara! 

-Fanatic


	10. Scene 8: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay, I'm finally back from my cousin's house- Hi, Tori! (waves enthusiastically)- so I am posting this after about 3 days. (sweatdrops) I swear, I am going to have the hardest time concentrating in school tomorrow… (sweatdrops again) Okay. To Chiz-muffinChik, I'm glad you reviewed. In answer to your question, I quote the chapter 8:

"Because Rosette has gone back to the past does not mean that history will change. In the 'Present' era, her going back has already happened, so therefore nothing has changed. It was always like this, and everything had already happened by the time that the manga picks up." I hope this makes sense to you. Basically, no, there is no kid running around the convent back in Rosette's time. Hope that cleared that question up for you.

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 23 October 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

Chrono and the other boys had left later that night. I sat in the chair in my room- it seemed so empty, now, without my lover here to occupy it with me - as I had that night, fingering the ring I now constantly wore on my left hand. Just before they had left that night, Chrono had pulled me aside into a little-used side hallway, and out into a hidden courtyard that I had never known existed.

_It was a beautiful place, with trees and a fountain, the stars shining brightly down on our heads. He seemed serious and nervous at the same time as he led me by the hand over to sit on the edge of the fountain._

"_Rosette?" he began. My mind was muddled with confusion by now, and I couldn't put two and two together- the romantic trip to the lake earlier; the beautiful, scenic setting of now; the nervousness that he was showing. "Rosette, I've known you for approximately four months, now, right?" I would have laughed if I wasn't so perplexed by the odd behavior._

"_Yeah…" I repeated slowly. He fidgeted, causing me to become frustrated. "Chrono, you're obviously nervous about something, and you want to speak. So spit it out!" He gulped, but nodded, and knelt in front of me, just as the pieces began to click into place in my mind._

"_Rosette Christopher, will you marry me?" he asked quietly, but I still heard him, and beamed at him for a split second before throwing my arms around his neck._

"_Yes, Chrono, I will!" I exclaimed, laughing. He hugged me in return, sighing contentedly. I could tell that he was relieved, and I kissed him gently to seal our pact, again forgetting about the predicament I had found myself in._

That was one of the most memorable, and happiest, evenings of my life. Unfortunately, it was not to last. They had left, and I had been consumed with my thoughts again. What if I was able to make it back to my time? What then? Would I still be able to marry him? And what about my being a nun? Well, so much for that. I probably couldn't ever be accepted back into the Order after becoming pregnant, let alone by a demon. Maybe when they returned, I could leave the baby with the Sinners, if I had to go back to my time. My time. Speaking of which, would Chrono even remember our promise 54 years into the future? Would he remember anything of the four months we had spent together so far? I could feel my time in _Eden_ drawing to a close- I didn't have much left, so I had to make a decision soon.

I laid a hand on my belly, which was swollen to where I looked as if I was in my ninth month or so. The baby kicked a little under my touch, and I smiled softly, though that faded when I realized that I was at the end of my second month and that the boys would be coming back with Mary Magdalene soon.

_Chrono… will you forget about me in her light? _I thought solemnly._ Will you forget the promise we made each other, that we would get married when you returned?_ My baby, as if sensing my distress, kicked again- a bit harder this time- and I couldn't help a chuckle and grin.

"Don't worry, little one. I'm fine." I muttered down to my belly, where my infant child was growing in my womb. "I'm just thinking about your father, that's all." I trailed off, my gaze becoming unfocused as I allowed my mind to wander blankly.

I sat like this for a while, before deciding to get up and stretch my legs. I wobbled a little upon rising to my feet, but it passed after a second, and I walked out of the room and into the hallway. With a sigh, I headed out to a small pond near Chrono's room and stood there, left arm crossed under my breasts, right hand fondling the Pocket Watch, staring out at the clouds surrounding the flying fortress that I had come to call home. Several long moments passed, and soft footsteps behind me alerted me to the presence of my feline friend.

"Hello, Shader." I said softly. She huffed slightly.

"Maa, I can't fool you anymore, can I?" she asked in her normal hyper way. I smiled and shook my head, focusing my gaze on my cat-eared comrade. We stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before I spoke again.

"How do you think they're doing?" My voice was almost a whisper.

"I don't know. They should be back any time, now. Any day."

"Any day, now, huh?" I snorted in good humored annoyance. "Well, they're sure taking their sweet time with it." She shrugged.

"I know that you're anxious, Rozetto-chan, but you have to remember that they have Magdalene with them, and they also don't want to attract Pursuers." she stated. "They have to go slowly if they want to avoid conflict, ne?" I huffed, but nodded with a smile. However, that was soon dashed as a searing pain ripped through my chest, just as a similar pain tore through my abdomen. Combined, they were enough to send me, gasping, to my knees. Shader was instantly at my side, her hands on my shoulders to support me, and soon the throbbing ebbed in both areas, leaving me gasping for breath and clutching my chest.

"Rosette?" she exclaimed. I looked up at her with a small- hopefully reassuring- smile.

"I… I-I'm okay, now, Shader…" I said, and then added, "I think." Her brow creased in worry and concern.

"What was that?" she asked frantically, her tail still bristling from her fright. I looked down, my sapphire gaze becoming unfocused as I thought about how to word the terrible news.

"It means… that my life is almost over." I replied softly. "The fainting spell I had the other day… this chest pain… My time on the earth is running out fast." I glanced at the Watch sadly, noting the position of the hands. "I probably don't have more than a matter of weeks left." I gasped and grimaced as a twinge ran through my womb, and suddenly, I felt a watery substance running over my legs, and I knew what was happening.

"Rozetto-chan?" Shader asked, again concerned for me. I looked up at her.

"Shader, my water just broke!"

* * *

Kuso, another cliffie! Find out what happens next time in Return to Times of Yore! (Brought to you by your local author!)

Oh, and please read and review!

-Fanatic


	11. Scene 9: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay, I'm back with yet another chapter of Return to Times of Yore! This time around, we finally get to read what happens with Rosette! Yay! (grins) I'm happy, now… And I'm sorry to everyone who reviewed who didn't like the cliffie. Gomen nasai!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter has childbirth and blood in it. Don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 25 October 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

I released another cry of agony as I arched my back. Rizelle ran back and forth across the room, carrying bloodied towels and hot water from Shader and me to the bathroom and back again.

"Rosette, push again! One more time, and then you're home free!" my feline companion urged. I huffed over my panting, and then pushed again, as hard as I could, attempting- unsuccessfully- to bite back a yell as I expelled my child from my body in a rush of blood and water. I fell back against Chrono's bed- his room had been the closest when I went into labor- and breathed heavily as I heard Shader tie off and cut the wailing baby's umbilical cord before handing it to Rizelle to clean up.

"Alright, Rozetto-chan, you're almost done. You have a daughter, and she's so damn adorable!" Shader exclaimed. "The cramps should be mild from here on out, so it won't last much longer." However, another contraction wracked my body, and, caught off guard, I shrieked, instinctively pushing again. Once she had uncovered her ears, Shader glanced down, and I could see her eyes go wider than saucers.

"Rosette, push! There's another head!" she exclaimed. My eyes crossed, and nearly rolled back into the back of my own head at those simple words.

_TWINS?_ I screeched in my mind. There was a squeal from Shader, and I shot her an apologetic grimace from my position. _Sorry about that, Shader!_ She nodded, but gave me a look that clearly read, 'PUSH, DAMMIT, OR ELSE!' I acquiesced, and I felt the second baby moving along the birth canal with painstaking sluggishness, causing my whole body to throb. Taking a breath, I pushed again, with all the strength I had remaining in me, a low moan rising in my throat, and I felt the infant leave me, Shader catching it between my legs. I weakly raised myself onto my elbows and watched her tie off and cut the umbilical cord of my second child, though I couldn't tell its gender due to the sweat running down into my eyes. I scrubbed at them violently with a shaking arm, completely and totally exhausted, but it did the trick, and I could see that the baby was a boy. He was wailing louder than his sister had, and as a mild contraction shook my body, Rizelle came back in, placing my daughter in a blanket-lined basket next to the bed, looking surprised when Shader handed her my son to clean up, as well. They exchanged a couple of words that I couldn't hear, and then the pretty spider-woman headed into the bathroom to clean my son up, as well. The cat-lady then turned to me with a grin.

"Congratulations, Rozetto-chan, you are now the mother of a twin son and daughter." she announced proudly. "Let's get you cleaned up, and then you can hold them and rest, if you want." I nodded weakly, grateful for her help, and then gave one more weak push, ousting the afterbirth from my womb, which allowed Shader to dispose of it and set to washing me off. That task didn't take long- it was the bed sheets that would be a pain to clean- and then, just as she moved to help wipe my hair out of my eyes and get some of the sweat off of my face, Rizelle re-entered the room and placed my boy next to his sister in their basket.

"Thank you… both of you…" I gasped out to Shader and Rizelle. "I couldn't have… made it through this withou-… without your help." Rizelle favored me with one of her rare, genuine smiles.

"You did most of the work." she stated softly, her eyes straying to my children and then back to me. "They really are beautiful. It makes me want to have some of my own one day." A small, tired grin upturned the corners of my mouth as I glanced at the lives I had carried inside of me for so long.

"Yeah…" I breathed, and then looked up at my friends. "May I hold them?" They exchanged glances.

"Yes, if you're up to it." Shader said, beaming with a sisterly sort of pride at me. She and Rizelle each picked up one of my twins- now asleep- and walked over to me. Shader gently placed my daughter in my arms when I reached out to her before moving behind me and setting the pillow upright- I scooted back a bit to allow myself to rest against it- and then Rizelle passed my son to me. As I gazed down at my children, one resting in the crook of each arm, I could not help but feel a strong mixture of pride, love, joy, adoration, and sadness well up in my heart. I loved these two babies so much already, but with my death looming on the horizon… I shook those thoughts from my head, and grinned at them as their faces scrunched and they opened their eyes at the same time, blinking up at me with identical pairs of dark blue eyes- those would probably change as they got older.

"Hello, little ones." I whispered to them. "I'm Rosette, your mother." I could feel Shader and Rizelle's equally large grins on me as, in unison, my twin son and daughter yawned widely, before falling back asleep. I turned my proud grin up to my friends.

"You guys… this has got to be a little bit of heaven on earth, here." I said with a laugh. They chuckled in agreement, and then Shader asked,

"What are you going to name them?" I closed my eyes in thought for a couple of minutes, and then,

"Aidan, for the girl. I'll call the boy Adrian." They both bore expressions of confusion.

"Huh? What do those names mean?" Rizelle inquired. I wracked my brain for the definitions of the names, finally coming upon them.

"Well, Aidan means 'little fire' in Gaelic- I learned it from an Irishman I met in New York one time- and Adrian is Latin for 'dark one'. He's got dark eyes, see?" I explained matter-of-factly. "I learned that one from Sister Kate." I was falling asleep by this time, the exhaustion of childbirth taking its toll on me, so they didn't ask any more questions, setting the basket on the chair in the middle of the room, next to the bed, and walked out, carrying the bloodied sheets and towels. I fell asleep smelling Chrono's spicy-sweet scent and listening to my daughter and son's gentle breathing.

* * *

Yay! She had twins! (grins yet again) Aww, aren't they adorable? Well, I have to clean my room, so I hafta go, but please leave a review! 'Til the next time, sayonara!

-Fanatic


	12. Scene 10: Past, Eden, Chrono

Heya, it's been a couple days again, and here I am with yet another chapter of Return to Times of Yore! (grins) I loved the reviews I got for the last chapter, thank you all so much for your praise, and I'm so glad you liked it! Ah, then, on with the chappie!

Oh, yeah, I have pictures of Aidan and Adrian if anyone wants to see them. They're a little older in the piccies, but hey, it's them, anyways. I might draw them as babies, too, eventually. (grins again) If you wanna see them, just give me a holler via e-mail or review, and I'll send 'em right over. Just make sure you've got your e-mail address available, or if you review, type it in the review itself, mmkay? Otherwise, I won't be able to send it to you.

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** Angst ahead in this chapter. Chrono and Rosetteangst, that is. Oh, yeah, and Mary Magdalene finally comes into the story.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 26 October 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Chrono**

As the clouds sped past around me, I could see _Eden_, our home, directly in front of me. Aion, Genai, and Viede flew close by- I could see them and feel their anxiousness to get home- and the girl in my arms, Mary Magdalene, held onto me around my neck, just like Rosette always did whenever I took her out flying. She was so different from my Rosette, this Mary…

"Chrono! Heads up!" Genai's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I focused just in time to do a roll to the side to avoid a head-on collision with a flock of geese. Mary squealed at the sudden motion, and when I righted myself, she giggled.

"Thinking about something, Chrono?" she asked. I scowled at her, but turned my gaze back to the approaching _Eden_. We were almost there…

The five of us broke through the barrier around the flying fortress with ease, the technology programmed to recognize our Astral signatures and let us through, and we touched down on the ground soon after. I set Mary down and turned back into my human guise, only to hear a shrill cry and a yell of "SHADER! COME BACK HERE!" just before I was tackled into a group hug by none other than my catlike friend herself.

"Chrono, Aion, Viede, Genai! You're all back!" she squealed, letting us go. I immediately noticed the copious amounts of a certain red substance staining her clothes, observing at the same time that it was smeared across her face and covering her hands, as well. Rizelle stalked up behind Shader and grabbed the smaller female by the back of her lab coat, pulling her up off the ground to glare into her face.

"Shader! You have to help me wash these things!" Rizelle growled lowly. Aside to us, she said monotonously, "Welcome home." and stalked back off the way she came. I noticed, as she walked, that she was covered in blood, as well, and I began to panic.

"Shader, where did all that blood come from?" I asked, suspicious. She began to sweat, and I could tell that she was nervous. I looked around, expecting to see Rosette lunging towards me to attack me with one of her infamous noogies, but she was strangely absent. "And where's Rosette?" Shader fidgeted a bit, appearing to be trying to pick her words right.

"She's… resting." she said at last. We all blinked, save Mary.

"Resting? Why? Where?" Aion and I asked. Shader gulped, sweating profusely at this point.

"Oh, I guess she didn't tell you…" she muttered, and then turned to go, only to have my hand shoot out- along with Aion's- and pull her back.

"Sooou, Lemme go! I was gonna take you to her!" she exclaimed. Aion and I looked at each other, nodded, and set her down. She dusted herself off- smearing more blood on her coat in the process- and waved to us to follow her.

"She's in your room, Chrono." she said. We all blinked, including Mary, who had tagged along, curious as to what was happening.

"My room? Why?" I asked. Shader swallowed hard.

"B-Because it was the closest one when it started…" she murmured. We all blinked again.

"'It'? What's 'it'?" Genai asked, but Shader refused to answer any more questions, remaining silent until we came to my room.

"Chrono, you go in first. The rest of you, stay out here." she said in a commanding voice once we arrived. I gave her a confused look, but she just glared at me until I walked forward and opened the door. I heard Mary ask Aion what was going on, but I didn't listen in, their voices dying as soon as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. I could see a shape asleep in my bed, and I headed over to it first off. It was Rosette.

She was asleep, her blonde hair matted to her head with sweat and smelling of blood like Rizelle and Shader, but she had a soft smile on her full lips. I could still remember the way she tasted… I shook those thoughts out of my head as she stirred, sensing my presence, and slowly, she winked open her eyes, her indigo gaze immediately finding my own crimson one.

"Chrono…?" she asked. Her voice was weak, hoarse, and I found my brow creasing as I frowned in worry, kneeling next to the bed.

"Yeah, it's me." I answered. "Are you okay? What happened? Where did all that blood come from?" She looked uncomfortable with my questions, and when she went to turn onto her back to look up at me, I saw her cringe, and went to help her roll over. Once that was accomplished, she grinned up at me, though it seemed like more of a grimace.

"Sorry about that. I'm sore all over." she stated in explanation. I raised an eyebrow, taking in her overly-large abdomen and fuller breasts, as well as her sweat-dampened hair and tired expression and eyes. I frowned at her, looking into her eyes.

"Rosette, what's going on?" I asked. I didn't mean to have an accusing tone to my voice, but when she flinched, I knew that she was regretting something.

"Chrono… you remember the night that we… made love?" she started. My brow creased even further, and I nodded. "Well, we didn't do it with any kind of protection whatsoever… and… well…" She trailed off with a sigh, and her gaze strayed to a chair in the center of the room that had a basket on it. She glanced up at me, gesturing to the basket with a nod of her head.

"Go look in it." she commanded. Still skeptical, I rose to my feet and crossed to the chair in one stride, gazing down into it. What I saw made my eyes go wide, my breath catch, and my blood race. Two babies lay in a nest of blankets, curled up next to each other.

"Chrono, meet your son and daughter." came Rosette's voice from the bed, and I slowly looked over at her. We were silent for a long time, my gaze alternating between the infants and Rosette, before I finally found my voice again and spoke the question I had been pondering unconsciously.

"Rosette, why didn't you tell me?" She heaved a sigh and looked up at the ceiling, attempting to pull herself into a sitting position. When she failed, I stepped forward and helped her, putting my pillow behind her back. That done, she gestured for me to bring the basket over and sit in the chair, and I complied, trying to jostle our children as little as possible as I set their basket on the bed next to Rosette's thigh. I sat down in the chair after I pulled it over, and observed as my lover gently woke up the girl and lifted her into her arms. As I watched, Rosette unbuttoned her nightgown and pulled one side of it down, exposing one of her breasts, and raised the baby to the nipple, where she latched on and began to suckle, taking her first real meal in the world of the living. The blonde woman seemed to be gathering her thoughts.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry about me and try to stay behind." she finally admitted. "I couldn't take the chance of you doing that, and thus changing history. I'm sorry, Chrono." Her apology ended in a whisper, her gaze not meeting mine, instead fixed on our daughter as she nursed. We lapsed into silence again, and I found that I couldn't stay angry with her. She was too sincere for that.

"'Changing history'?" I finally asked, a teasing note to my voice, one eyebrow raised. Her face broke into a grin, and she looked up at me.

"If you hadn't gone, we wouldn't have Mary Magdalene here right now, now would we?" she asked, challenging my teasing with her own. I smiled, myself, and poked her in the shoulder.

"So, will you still marry me?" I asked. Her grin fell a little, sadness entering into her eyes as they turned back onto our daughter.

"I… don't know, Chrono." she whispered. I froze. She didn't know…? She glanced up at me, reading my shocked expression, and placed her hand on top of mine on my knee, though she re-affixed her gaze on the girl again.

"Don't get me wrong." she said quietly, catching my attention. "I would love nothing more than to become your wife, but…" She sighed heavily, suddenly seeming eons older than her true age of 16. "Chrono, Shader probably didn't tell you, but there were two reasons why I was resting when you returned." I blinked, wondering why else she would need to rest other than the childbirth she had endured.

"What is it?" I asked. A sinking feeling manifested itself in the pit of my stomach, and I began to dread what her answer would be. She looked up at me, and I glimpsed so much sorrow and pain in her sapphire eyes that I leaned back a couple of inches, my brow creasing in worry. "Rosette?"

"Chrono, the… the other day, I had a fainting spell, and… and when I went into labor this morning, there was a sharp pain in my chest as well as the contractions." she explained quietly.

"Well, what does it mean?" I asked, voice shaking, needing to know the answer, and yet dreading it all the while as I stood up next to the bed, holding her hand. She took a deep breath.

"My time… my life… is almost over." she announced grimly. It hit me like a blow to the stomach, knocking all the wind out of me and sent me to my knees, which suddenly felt like jelly. I felt nauseous, my head was spinning, all I could see was Rosette's worried face, and I couldn't breathe. I felt her hand in the crook of my neck, trying to steady me, but the world wouldn't stop spinning…

"Chrono, breathe!" she exclaimed, and I sucked in a shaking breath, let it out, and then drew another, my right hand coming up to grasp hers where it rested on my left shoulder. I was shaking all over as the room came to a halt, and I gazed up into her eyes, the ones that I fell in love with.

"You're… dying…?" I breathed, my voice barely audible to my own ears, but she nodded sadly.

"Yes." she whispered, raising her hand to cup my cheek. I closed my eyes tight with a soft groan, leaning in to rest my head in her lap, my arms coming up to wrap around her waist in a secure embrace as moisture leaked out of my eyes to drip down my cheeks and into the fabric of the blanket. Without a word, she put her free arm around my shoulders, and all was quiet again save for the sound of our breathing and our daughter's nursing, though she finished after a few seconds. When Rosette lifted her arm from me, I did the same with my head and torso, rocking back onto my heels to dry my eyes and watch.

"Chrono… I want you to promise me something." she said after a second, grabbing a nearby towel and throwing it over her shoulder before lifting the baby and beginning to pat her back firmly- burping, I faintly recalled. I nodded numbly, and she spoke again.

"If… If I die here… I want you to make sure that these two are taken care of, okay?" she asked. I looked up at her, seeing her holding our daughter, whom had been successfully burped at this point, and looked to our son, who was waking up in the basket, and then I shook my head, a new determination welling up inside me.

"No, Rosette. I can't promise you that." I announced. When she opened her mouth to protest, I held up a hand. "I won't let you die, so therefore, I can't promise."

"But if I die before you find a way to prevent it, I need to know that they'll be safe." she protested, and I exhaled noisily, rolling my eyes.

"Alright, I promise." I proclaimed. "But you have to swear to me that you'll stick around long enough for me to find a solution, okay?" She smiled, and then spat in her palm and held out her hand towards me.

"Agreed?" she asked. I beamed, and spat in my own palm before shaking her hand.

"Agreed."

"Ne, Chrono?"

"Yes?"

"Could you take Aidan from me so that I can feed Adrian?" she asked. I blinked.

"Aidan? Adrian?" I was definitely confused, now.

"The girl's name is Aidan- 'little fire'- and the boy's name is Adrian, which means 'dark one' because of his dark-colored eyes." she replied. I nodded, and then held out my arms after placing myself back in my chair. She gently passed Aidan over to me, reminding me firmly to support her head, and reached down to pluck Adrian softly from the basket. I gazed down at the tiny life in my arms, taking in the shape of her face, the violet of her hair, and- when they opened- the sapphire blue of her eyes. I caught Rosette observing us out of the corner of my eye.

"You know, she kinda looks like you." she said teasingly, earning an annoyed stare from me before I turned back to my daughter. We were silent for another long time, each of us observing our newborn children.

"Rosette…" I started, brow creasing a little bit. "I… if I'd known…" I released my breath in a whoosh, lifting a hand to run it through my hair. "I… I wanted to be there when my children were born. It's something I always wanted to experience." I felt her hand on my knee and looked up to meet her regretful gaze.

"I know, Chrono. I know, and I'm sorry." she whispered. I offered her a small smile.

"It's okay, I guess. I just hope that I can be there if it happens again." I said. "So… how did you end up having these two in two months instead of nine?" She laughed a little, taking her hand back to better support Adrian, who was suckling her formerly untouched breast.

"I asked Shader the same general thing when I first discovered I was pregnant." she admitted. "She told me it was because they were half demon. Demons generally stay in their eggs for about 1 ½ months, whereas the normal human gestation period is about 9 months. Since these two were both human and demon, it cut the human time down by about 2/3." The explanation made sense, but there was still one thing bugging me.

"Then they should have been born after about 3 months, not two, ne?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. They were born a month early." she said. "Sometimes, with humans, babies are born early, for whatever reason. I guess that they were just ready, or that we miscalculated the time it would take for them to grow in my womb." I nodded in comprehension, and looked back down at my daughter, who was studying me with a sleepy curiosity. I stared back at her, unintentionally getting involved in a staring contest with a baby that was only a couple of hours old at the most.

"So, what was the time of birth?" I asked, not blinking. Rosette's laughter echoed like bells in my ears.

"About 2:30 this afternoon, after 6 hours of labor." she said, and I could sense her rolling her eyes. I grunted a bit, but my eyes were watering so badly that I couldn't make out much. Finally, after a long, hard battle, the need to blink won out, and I wet my eyes rapidly as Aidan drifted off to sleep, satisfied at having won the staring contest.

"So, they were born about half an hour before we arrived?" I asked, pouting slightly. "You couldn't have waited a little bit longer?" She glared at me.

"No. When you're in labor and the baby wants out, you let it out." she growled, voice low. I held up a hand to ward her off.

"Alright, alright, I was just joking. Sheesh!" I said, laughing a bit. "So, when do we get to introduce them to the others? You know as well as I do that as soon as Aion and Genai find out about me and you being parents, they're going to attack us like rabid dogs until they get to see the kids, right?" She laughed knowingly.

"Tell me about it." she said flatly, and then, "Well, considering the fact that I feel like I've been hit by a truck and am achy all over, I'd say that you can let them in in about an hour, after the three of us have had a good, long nap. Got it?" I nodded with a grin, and we both laughed heartily for a couple of seconds, until Adrian finished his meal and began fussing. Rosette looked at me.

"Could you burp him? My arm's getting even sorer than it already was."

* * *

Okay, Mary didn't play that big of a part in this chapter, but she gets more action in the ones to come, don't worry. I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment of Return to Times of Yore, and I can't wait to hear from you all again! Please read and review! Goodbye, and Godspeed!

-Fanatic


	13. Scene 11: Past, Eden, Chrono

Greetings, Earth-dwelling creatures. (snickers) KK, enough with the 'alien-talk'. I'm sorry for the delay in the updating, but I haven't been able to get a break until now. First, I was swamped with homework- (World History notes are such a pain!)- and then I got grounded for an evening. Okay, then, enough with my ramblings and on with the chapter!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 2 November 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Chrono**

15 minutes later, I closed the door to my room behind me, wiping stray spit-up off of my coat with a towel as I did so. As it turned out, I just had to get the one that, apparently, liked to vomit. The burping towel had caught the brunt of the white-colored explosion, but some of the foul-smelling goop had managed to find its way onto my cloak despite my best efforts. I couldn't keep the smile from my face, however, as I walked down the halls towards my favorite place to sit, tossing the 'gag rag' into the dirty clothes hamper as I went. Rosette had fallen asleep soon after her laughing- at my predicament, of course- had ceased, and, when Adrian followed suit soon after, I had placed him silently in the basket next to Aidan, careful not to jostle any of the members of my small family. I had then walked quietly out of the room, stealing one last glance at the trio before closing them off from the disturbances of the outside world. All in all, I had had a fairly good day, if you forgot about the part with Rosette's life being almost over.

I slowed my walk at that thought. Rosette was dying. I had to find a way to keep that from happening, even if I had to give my own soul to replenish hers.

'_Waitaminnit…'_ I thought. _'Give my own soul to replenish hers… Souls are made of Astral, right? So what if… THAT'S IT!'_ Triumphant, I ran down the hallway to Shader's lab, where I could sense the genius working diligently. When I opened the door abruptly, the other Sinner shrieked in surprise and nearly jumped out of her skin, instead taking it with her to where she clung to the ceiling, tail bristling violently as she hissed her fright at me. After a few moments, she calmed down, and dropped back to the floor, landing on her feet before yelling at me.

"_DON'T DO THAT!_" she screamed, causing my ears to ring. I cringed at the loud noise, rubbing my ears.

"Sorry, Shader…" I muttered. She sighed exasperatedly, and turned away from me.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again." she said, and then, "I take it Rosette told you everything?" I nodded. "Even about her life… you know?" Another affirmative nod.

"Yes. And I'm not going to let her die like that." I said. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"And how do you expect to do that?" she asked. I grinned.

"Shader, would you be able to modify her pocket watch so that Astral could flow two ways?"

* * *

Okay, then, that one was a shortie, there. I'll post another to make up for it. Please leave a review, and to everyone who asked to see the pic(s) of Aidan and Adrian, I'll attempt to get them out as soon as the scanner starts functioning again. 'Til the next time, ja ne!

-Fanatic


	14. Scene 12: Past, Eden, Chrono

Okay, here's the second chappie I promised. I hope you enjoy it. (grins)

As a quick side-note:

'…'- are Rosette's telekinetic speech when she is talking to Chrono through his horns.  
_-…-_ are Chrono's telekinetic speech when he is conversing with Rosette. And,  
_Blah_ -are just regular thoughts.

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter contains some mild Aion-bashing. Don't like, don't read, though I found it quite humorous, myself.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 2 November 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Chrono**

I strode into the dining room about 20 minutes after meeting Shader, beaming so brightly that I could swear that my face was probably luminescent due to the huge grin I was sporting. Aion, Viede, Rizelle, Mary, and Genai looked up from the game of Chinese checkers that they were all playing, and the four demons gaped openly at me.

"C-C-Chrono…? Is that you?" Aion stammered. I flashed him a grin.

"Yep!" I crowed. "Did you guys know that today's been a really good day?" Their jaws dropped, and they turned to each other.

"Guys, is this really Chrono, here?"

"He's too out of character to not be an imposter…"

"Are you sure we shouldn't knock him out and put him under surveillance?" I felt my eyebrow begin to twitch, and my grin rapidly faded until I was gritting my teeth, a vein popping out on my forehead from the strain of trying to refrain from blowing up at them. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and shouted,

"_WOULD YOU FOUR STOP IT ALREADY?_" They stopped instantly as my outburst echoed clear across_ Eden_, and then they all grinned.

"Yep, that's Chrono, alright."

"Sulky again, like he usually is." I growled loudly, grinding my teeth and seriously considering hitting the four of them with an Astral blast or two. Aion waved a hand up and down while snickering.

"Sorry, Chrono. We were just joking, have a sense of humor!" he said, laughing. I rolled my eyes with a huff, taking a seat at the table.

"Hey, now that you're here, Chrono, we can have a proper game!" Mary exclaimed, clapping her hands once. I grunted, but when they shoved it towards me, I rolled my eyes again and moved one of my purple pieces forward, jumping three green pieces that belonged to Viede, and putting my piece quite close to the other side.

"So, how's Rosette doing?" Aion asked after a few moments of each of us moving in turn. As I moved another piece up to where it now rested next to my first piece, I glanced up at them all, seeing genuine concern in the gazes of my four demon friends, before re-affixing my gaze on the board.

"She says she's sore all over and feels like she's been hit by something called a 'truck', but otherwise, she seemed okay at the moment." I replied. My near-twin blinked.

"'At the moment'?" he asked. I glanced up at him as Viede moved a piece into my territory.

"She tells me that she had a fainting spell the other day, and that earlier today she had chest pains." I explained, tone becoming solemn. "I asked her about it, and… well, she told me the truth. She's running out of time. Her life's almost over." Silence met this announcement, and then, all at once, there was an explosion of questions that met my ears.

"What? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" –Aion.  
"How long does she have left?" –Genai.  
"Why didn't she tell us about it?" –Rizelle.  
"Is there anything we can do to help her?" –Viede.  
"What's going on?" –Mary.  
"How the hell can you act so calm about it? Don't you care about her at all?" –Aion, again.

Luckily, I was prepared for this barrage, and I waited until it had died down before continuing, poker face still in place, though I was still slightly hurt by Aion's final comment.

"I thought of a way that we may be able to regenerate her soul." I announced. "If what she said about the Life Clock draining her soul to give me energy in the future is correct, then we should be able to reconfigure the clock's Astral flow mechanism to cause whoever she has a Contract with to feed some Astral back to her, as long as they have their horns." The four demons blinked at me, uncomprehending, but Mary nodded in understanding.

"So basically, you'd reverse the flow of this 'Astral' stuff, and it would help her live longer?" she asked. I clapped and nodded with a smile.

"Correct." I said, and then scowled at Aion. "And yes, I do care about her, very much. That theory is how I can act so calm about it." I cleared my throat as he pouted, and made another move with my Chinese Checkers piece. "Shader is going to work on it as soon as I can get the Watch from Rosette to give to her. 'Course, I haven't talked to Rosette about it yet, so…" I grinned again, pointing to the board. "Looks like I win." Indeed, all of my pieces had been moved to occupy all of Viede's territory. However, as he and the rest gawked at the board, wondering when I had done that, I rose to my feet, sensing that Rosette was awake. Aion clapped his hands together once, standing up, as well.

"Well, let's go talk to her about it, then!" he exclaimed. Mary clapped her hands, too, and the rest of them got to their feet, as well. They began to head to the door, but I cried out,

"Wait!" They stopped, looking back at me, confused. I stood behind my chair, my hand on the back of it, my head down, and my bangs hiding my eyes as I slowly turned a bright shade of red.

"Well, what is it?" Genai asked impatiently. "I wanna see how she's doing!" I bit my lip with one of my fangs, trying to figure out how to word what I wanted to say.

"Um, there's something that you guys should know before we go see her…" I began, and when the words became stuck in my throat, I cleared it, my face cherry red.

"Spit it out, already!" Aion said. Mary swatted him on the arm.

"Have patience! Can't you tell he's trying to figure out how to word it?" she said. I smiled gratefully at her, and then it disappeared when I swallowed. Finally, I took a deep breath and relayed what I wanted to say to them.

"Guys, Rosette's a mother now." Everything was silent, and then…

"Well, that's great!" –Mary.  
"I wanna see the baby!" –Aion.  
"… I am happy for her." –Viede.  
"A BABY? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SHE TELL US?" –Genai.  
"Shut up, Genai." –Rizelle.  
"Who's the father?" –Aion, yet again.

I swallowed hard, waiting until they quieted down again to break the rest of the news to them, biting my lip so feverishly that it bled profusely.

"I… I'm the father." I admitted quietly. I could hear the crickets chirping outside over the stillness that permeated the room for the next several long minutes as they all- even Rizelle- soaked it in. Then, all at once, the boys all rushed me and clapped me on the back, causing my teeth to clack together and bite my tongue almost all the way off.

"Way to go Chrono!" –Genai.  
"I knew all along you had it in you!" –Aion.  
"Congratulations, Chrono. I'm happy for you." –Viede, with a smile.  
"You finally got laid, huh?" -Aion- I punched him hard in the face for that one- again.  
"Shut up, Aion!" –Rizelle, from the back of the group. And finally, Mary's,  
"Congratulations, Chrono! Wow, a little boy or girl!"

I shrugged them off, my jaw and shoulders aching, and massaged my chin for a second as my Legion healed my tongue before turning back to them.

"Aion, once your nose heals, you're going to pay for that one remark…" I muttered, "But thanks, everyone. Genai, you guys aren't the only ones she didn't tell. I didn't know about it, either." I cast a glance sideways to Rizelle. "Though, I do imagine that Rizelle and Shader knew about it, considering that they're both females and were left behind along with Rosette…" At Rizelle's affirming nod, I shrugged. "Anyways, I wanted to warn you all that the babies are asleep, so be quiet when you go in there, alright?" With that, I brushed past the females and out into the hall, beginning the walk back to my room.

'_Chrono?'_ came a small voice in my head. It was Rosette. _'I'm awake, if you want to bring the others in, now. Just tell them that they have to be quiet- the babies are still asleep, okay?'_ A small smile crept over my face.

_-Don't worry, Rosette.-_ I told her. _-I already let them know. I'm headed there now.-_ I felt a small bit of alarm from her.

'_Now?' _she exclaimed frantically. _'Well, at least let me get a sweater or something on!'_ I raised an eyebrow but didn't question her on it, shaking it off. It would take us a couple of moments to get to the room, anyway. Sure enough, when I asked her just outside the door a few minutes later, she replied that she was decent. Standing at the door, I whirled to face my friends one more time.

"Remember, be quiet!" I said. They all nodded, and then I knocked once and opened the door, walking in to find Rosette sitting on the side of the bed, buttoning the last button on a light sweater over the clean, white nightgown she had been wearing when I had visited her earlier. She had pulled her hair back into her usual twin pigtails, I saw, and as the rest of them filed in behind me, she looked up with a bright smile.

"Hey, guys! Good afternoon!" she whispered loudly. I returned her smile with a small one of my own, and glanced over at the basket when I heard the babies begin to shift. She and I sighed at the same time, and I walked over and picked up Adrian as she lifted Aidan. There was a chorus of small squeals from behind me when the twins came into sight, and I turned to our friends, a proud smile on my face to match Rosette's as they walked over and got a good look at my children.

"Aw, Chrono, Rosette! They're adorable!" Mary whispered as she looked from one twin to the other. Aion beamed at us.

"Cool! Genai, Viede, and I are uncles now! And our niece and nephew are the cutest little things in the world!" he cooed, bending over Adrian and tickling his belly with one finger. Adrian didn't react at first, but after a second, he scrunched up his face and sneezed. I chuckled.

"Hey, Aion, I think he's allergic to you." I said. Laughter echoed around the room.

* * *

LMAO! Hee, hee, hee, Adrian's allergic to Aion! (sniggers) Okay, I hope that you all found that satisfying. I know I did! (grins) Sorry to all you Aion-lovers out there- it had to be done for the sake of comedy. And yay, Mary Magdalene finally got some action! She doesn't play a big, crucial role, though. That much I'll let you know. Well, I have to go, now, so please just click the good, purple, clickery clicker down there in the clicker-tastic corner, and leave me a clickery-good review! Please? 

-Fanatic


	15. Scene 13: Past, Eden, Chrono

Hey again, it's been a few days since my last update, and I was getting a bit anxious to let y'all know what happens next. (grins widely) Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed chapter 14, you've really been a great inspiration! (hugs everyone who reviewed) Yay!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** There is a bit of steaminess between Chrono and Rosette in the later part of this chapter. Don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or chapter 5.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 5 November 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Chrono**

Later, after we had discussed the children and my theory about the Watch, Aion and the rest left us alone so that Aidan and Adrian could get some sleep. As I carefully laid my son next to his sister, an ever-present smile glued to my lips, I couldn't help feeling a bubble of love, pride, and joy welling up inside of me at the sight of the twins, the product of mine and Rosette's love for each other. I turned to go after stealing one last glance at our children, but her soft voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Chrono? I need to talk to you…" she murmured. I nodded, looking back at her, and turned on my heel, making my way back to sit in the chair next to the bed.

"What's the matter?" I asked. She shifted nervously, biting her lip.

"Well… about the Contract…" she said. I felt confusion growing in me. "I think that it would work- your theory, that is- but I… I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here. I think… I think I can feel some kind of disturbance in the time-space continuum around _Eden_. Something is going to happen." I nodded, having felt the ripples in time myself. "I don't know if it's going to be good or bad, but I have a feeling that it's connected with my own era, 54 years into the future." I dropped my eyes, finding her hand with my own and grasping it tightly.

"I know. I've felt it, too." I allowed my gaze to settle on our matching younglings where they slept restlessly in their basket. "I think that they can sense it, as well." I finally met her eyes, both ruby and sapphire filled with grief and foreboding. In a sudden flood of emotion, I moved over to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling my other half towards me in a secure embrace. My shoulders shook with unshed tears, but though they welled in my eyes, I did not discard them, as she wrapped her arms around my chest, tucking her head under my chin.

"I don't want to lose you, Rosette." I choked out softly. She drew a shaking breath.

"I don't want to leave, either, Chrono, but I might have to." she whispered against me. "If someone from my own time finds a way to help me go back, then I'll have no choice." I didn't reply, squeezing my eyes shut to ward off the tears that were trying to fall.

"Chrono, if that happens, then there is only one thing you can do to help the situation, okay?" she said, and I nodded numbly to show that I was listening. She pulled out of my arms to sit back and look me in the eyes. "Wait for me, Chrono. Wait for me, and I will come find you, no matter how long it takes." I nodded with a deep breath before leaning in and brushing my lips against hers in a chaste kiss.

"I will wait for you forever if I have to, Rosette. I swear that on my life." I breathed against her, and I felt her smile before we deepened it again with an ardor that we had not shared for a long time. I pulled her against my chest, feeling her respond by wrapping her arms around my neck. In a few moments, we pulled away, and smiled at each other. I stroked her bangs back from her face with a tenderness I had never known I possessed, and she grinned even wider for a second before slowly laying back down. I got up and pulled the chair closer, and then I sat down in it to keep watch over my family.

"Chrono?" Rosette asked softly. I turned to her, only to see her beginning to fall asleep as she turned onto her side.

"Yes?"

"I love you." I beamed at her and caressed her cheek with the tips of my fingers.

"I love you, too, Rosette. Goodnight."

* * *

Hmm, like I said, a bit steamy for a minute, there, ne? And an imaginary cookie for anyone who can tell me where the very end of the conversation is similar to. "Chrono?" "Yes?" "I love you." "I love you, too, Rosette. Goodnight." See if you can figure it out- tell me in a review- and I'll make the next chapter extra-specially long. Well, anyway, I hope you all liked it. (grins) I have to go, now, so please leave me a review, and I'll attempt to update sooner again, mmkay? Mmkay. 

-Fanatic

P.S. There is blood in the next chapter. Lots and lots of blood and angst.


	16. Scene 14: Past, Eden, Aion

Heya, sorry for the late update (yet again!). Here's chapter 16. I finally got off my fat arse and decided to put it into a chapter. Took me long enough. Okay, then. Here goes the first chappie that doesn't have Rosette or Chrono as the main POV! Enjoy!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** This chapter has lots and lots of blood and angst. If you don't like it, then don't read it. Oh, yeah, and some Aion, Adrian, and Aidan mischief.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Crusade or anything affiliated with it. They all belong to Daisuke Moriyama-san. I only own the OCs Aidan and Adrian.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 8 November 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Aion**

I opened the door to Rosette's room silently, my gaze searching through the gloom for my nun friend's gun and holster. I had a prank in mind- repayment for the last one she and Chrono had pulled on me- and I needed the weapon for material. Finally, I found it, lying on her bedside table next to her ammunition pouches and a couple of baby supplies. I smirked evilly, tiptoeing without noise over to the small surface and picking up the steel weapon- my hand was covered with my sleeve- before sliding it into my inner coat pocket and exiting the room exactly as I had come, heading back out to the grounds and whistling a merry tune.

It had been nearly a month since we had returned to find that Rosette had had twins (courtesy of Chrono, of course). The babies were growing rapidly, their demon blood contributing to the accelerated process, and they were now almost the size of a normal human toddler. They acted like them, too, their minds maturing just as fast as their bodies.

_They come in damn handy for pranks, too._ I thought with a stifled snicker. Currently they were distracting their parents long enough for me to retrieve the needed item from Rosette's room and get back out. I could see them from where I now stood. Chrono was trying to catch a wayward Aidan- who was running across the grass, naked as the day she was born- while Rosette attempted to wrestle some clothes onto Adrian. Both had just had a bath, I knew, and I laughed heartily at the sight of my brother chasing a youngling around with soap suds all over him. The twins, hearing my mirth, turned in their mischief to launch themselves at me and latch onto my arms.

"Unk Ai! Unk Ai!" they cried in unison, unable to pronounce my name properly, and therefore calling me by the nickname they had given me.

"Aidan, Adrian, hello!" I said, chuckling. "Have you been giving your mom and dad trouble again?" They expressed their amusement with matching hoots, nodding as they did so, and I raised my arms out to my sides, them still hanging on- about three feet off of the ground, might I add- and walked over to my brother and Rosette. They smiled at me gratefully, looking harried, and took the kids off of my arms before pulling clothes on their tiny bodies. The twins pouted a bit, their lower lips sticking cutely out under their noses- they had inherited that expression from Rosette, most definitely- but then, when I grinned and scooped them up under my arms, they instantly cheered up, giggling and squealing in childish delight.

"Hey, Aion." came Chrono's monotonous greeting, though it did hold a hint of amusement in it.

"Where have you been all day, mister?" Rosette growled playfully, poking me in the ribs before turning to Chrono.

"Hey, Chrono, come with me for a few minutes." she asked. "I need to help Mary with the laundry, and it's your turn to carry the basket." Chrono rolled his eyes, but nodded and turned to go. "Aion, could you watch the kids for just 15 minutes or so?" I nodded, grinning.

"Yeah! We'll have a ton of fun, right, Aidan, Adrian?" I replied. Aidan and Adrian nodded vigorously, loudly releasing their mirth into the daytime air.

"Fun! Fun!" they cried in unison. Chrono and Rosette smiled, and then began walking towards the laundry lines hanging in the distance. After they were out of earshot, I watched as Rosette suddenly froze, and then said something to Chrono, and then they both headed off towards her room. I smirked evilly, and set the little half-demons down, pulling them into a team huddle.

"Good job, you two." I said to them, bending down to look them in the eyes. "You distracted them long enough for me to accomplish… 'The Mission'." I ended dramatically. They giggled madly, and beamed at me.

"Yay!" they exclaimed. "Yay! Mis compwe! Mis compwe!" They bounced a little bit on the balls of their feet, covering each others' mouths to stifle their amusement. I felt a surge of pride at them, but I quickly quashed it, moving on to the next part of our plan.

"Okay, now you two hide here…" I murmured, picking them up and putting them into a basket of clean clothes before covering them with a sheet. "And that way, when your mom comes after me, you won't get hurt. But remember, when she walks over and picks you up, you have to jump out and shout, 'BOO!' Okay?" Identical squeals of excitement met my ears, and the white lump in front of me quivered a little bit. "Okay. Now, you have to be very quiet, and very still, otherwise your mom and dad will find you." The lumps stilled, and a united 'shh!' noise met my ears. I grinned. "Good job." Suddenly, a screech of rage echoed around Eden.

"CHRONO, YOU IDIOT! GET THE HELL BACK HERE!" It was Rosette. I paled. She thought Chrono had stolen the gun.

"Unk Ai? Wha dos 'hell' mean?" came a toddler's voice from the basket. It was Adrian. I sweatdropped.

"Uh, it's a bad word. Don't say it again." I said. "I have to go help your daddy, now, so stay here. I'll be right back." The lump nodded, and I straightened from where I'd been kneeling before turning around. Chrono and Rosette were coming towards us from my right, I could sense, but they were a little ways away, still. Suddenly something caught my eye, about 40 feet away and slightly to my left, near the clotheslines. There was a white, gate-like thing hovering in the air, similar to the one we had used to escape from Pandaemonium, and standing in front of it, looking around, was what appeared to be a little boy. However, though I couldn't see his facial features from this distance, I could tell that he was looking over at me, and the red coat, purple hair, and- I could just make this out- the pointed ears gave it away that he was a demon. I tried to read his mind, but there were shields up, so I couldn't decipher anything.

"Unk Ai?" Aidan's voice came from behind me, and I glanced back to find her and Adrian peeking out from under the sheet. "Unk Ai, wha's wong? Why didn't you weave yet? Wewen't you gonna hewp momma and daddy?" I smiled faintly, kneeling and pulling out the gun from the inner pocket. It was already loaded, though the safety catch was on.

"I am, but there's a bad guy that I have to take care of real quickly." I told them, my smile fading as, with a telltale 'click!', the safety came off. "Stay here, and stay down. If the demon comes over here, bite and claw and do all you can to hurt it. Do you understand?" They nodded, their eyes wide with a sudden onset of fear. "Alright. Do as I said, keep hidden, and don't make any noise. I'll protect you." They disappeared in a flash of white linen, and I looked back at the demon, raising the gun and taking aim. I'd had experience with revolvers, and though this one was differently designed- much more advanced- it had the same aiming system. I will never be able to forget what happened next.

I pulled the trigger, the gunshot ringing out across the grounds, launching the bullet from its chamber at a speed that none would be able to evade, and it screamed towards the demon. At first, it seemed like it'd stay on its course, but then… A blur of purple and white streaked in front of the projectile, and time seemed to stop as Chrono froze, sharp ruby eyes catching sight of the Gospel, and he turned to face it, not knowing what it was. My eyes widened in shock and desperation.

"CHRONO, MOVE!" I screamed as loudly as I could, but I was too late. With a flash of white, feathers, and a cross shape, the shot embedded itself in my brother's stomach, crimson flying in all directions as it shredded his insides with its holy energy, knocking him back off of his feet and onto the ground. His eyes were wide with shock, an expression that will never, ever, leave my mind, even in my insanity. Two cries of pain and anguish followed the spilling of Chrono's blood, one from Rosette, who had to watch as her lover was wounded, and another, younger-sounding one from the demon that the bullet was meant for. Without any more thoughts, I found myself running forward, gun falling from my hand, the twins launching themselves from the basket behind me at the same time, and all of us making a beeline for our fallen comrade and father.

In a split second, I was at his side, kneeling, as Rosette cradled his head in her lap, her whole body shaking in fear, and I put a hand on his shoulder for a second before whipping my gaze up to glare at the seemingly 12-year-old demon, only a matter of meters away. I found myself looking into ruby eyes that matched Chrono's. This demon… this demon that I had mistaken for a Pursuer or Legion… this demon was Chrono. In a sealed form, yes, but Chrono nonetheless. He gave me a look of great sadness, and then he disappeared through the small, white portal behind him.

_A portal to the future…_ I thought, not even realizing what that meant at first, and then, just as it clicked in my mind, the Chrono from this time coughed harshly, blood flying into the air, and I was reminded of my terrible error. I turned back to him, a fine mist of tears clouding my eyes a little, and I looked at Rosette, who was crying openly, pressing the cloth of her habit to the gaping wound in an effort to staunch the flow of blood.

"Chrono, can you hear me?" I exclaimed, turning his face to look at me. I risked a glance to his abdominal region when she took the habit away, and felt sick to my stomach at the very sight of it. Torn and burned flesh and organs spilled out across the ground beneath him, blood flooding out in torrents to stain the green grass. Normally, I wouldn't give a rat's ass if it were a Pursuer or Legion or similar, but this was my friend, my _brother_. And just the thought of him lying here, wounded by my hand, was enough to make my stomach roil.

His eyes rolled hazily under fluttering, half-closed lids, his breathing strained and coming in heaving and uneven pants. I knew that the shot had just narrowly missed his lungs and heart. Closing my eyes, I mentally shouted at Shader and the others to get over here quickly and bring the emergency med-kits, and then I turned back to my brother. Soft sobs of panic and fear reached my ears, and I glanced over to see the twins clutching at each other, eyes wide, faces scrunched in terror, as they took in the sight of their father laying there, dying.

"Rosette, the others are coming with medical supplies." I softly informed her, my voice sounding strained even to my ears. She nodded a little, still fearful, and glanced up at my niece and nephew.

"Get them out of here, Aion." she commanded quietly, but her voice held all the venom of a snake waiting to strike. She would shoot me herself if I didn't comply. Of course, she'd probably shoot me later, anyway, when she found out that I was the one who accidentally shot Chrono, but I would wait for that. For now, I had to get the toddlers out of there before they were scarred for life.

'_Not that they aren't already, but…'_ I shook that thought off, and turned to the twins, picking them up and jogging towards Mary and the others, who I could see running towards us through the clotheslines. When I reached them, I handed the twins over to the Holy Maiden, my face twisted in an expression of the guilt and horror that I was feeling inside.

"Mary, take them, and go to the other side of _Eden_. Do you hear me?" I ordered lowly. She nodded, eyes wide, face pale, as she got a glimpse of Rosette and Chrono, and she balanced Aidan and Adrian- one on each hip- before starting on her way to the North Pond as I led Shader, Rizelle, Genai, and Viede towards my other two friends at a run. At the sight, I heard a couple of gasps from the rest of them- a squeal of dismay from my eccentric feline friend. Genai and Viede came to a halt a couple of feet away, but Rizelle, Shader, and I kept going, emergency aid kits in our hands. I knelt next to my brother just as his eyes slipped shut.

"Chrono!" I cried, slapping his cheek to wake him up again. His eyes fluttered open, and he faintly looked around at me.

"A… Aion…?" he whispered. "Ros…ette…? It hurts… it feels like… every vein in my body… is on fire…" I bit my lip with one elongated fang. "And… I'm so… tired… I wanna sleep…" He sounded like a hatchling, but I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Chrono, no! Don't close your eyes! Don't go to sleep!" Rosette exclaimed frantically, gently slapping his cheek with one hand. "If you do, I'll beat you up later!" His eyes were slipping shut. We were getting desperate, Shader and Rizelle trying to staunch the bleeding as best they could, though it didn't work. Rosette bit her lip, but suddenly, she dropped her crimson-soaked habit and lifted Chrono's hand to her chest, where the Life Clock hung around her neck.

"Chrono the Sinner… I am going to make a Contract with you." she announced grimly, and placed her hand on his chest. He hissed at the contact, his claws reflexively clenching, digging into her soft flesh with a gasp. A trickle of blood slipped out of the corner of her mouth, but she gritted her teeth, and with a flash of white light, symbols appeared over my brother. The Watch flared to life from its dormant state, flooding with green light and illuminating the dials on its sleek face. The seal clicked open, and Rosette gasped loudly, the Clock's hands spinning wildly. All it did, though, was staunch the bleeding, before it snapped shut and Rosette collapsed across my brother, unconscious.

"ROSETTE!" I shouted, and pulled her off of Chrono as he, too, slipped into the void. "Get him to an Astral pool! I'll take Rosette to her room." Their expressions, I'll remember for the rest of eternity. It was only the beginning of the insanity.

* * *

Okay, that's how Aion first began to lose his marbles. (grins) Hope you liked it! Hee hee! Like I said, pretty gory. And Rosette and Chrono have a contract again, now! KK, I have to go, but please leave a review! I'd so much appreciate it! 

-Fanatic


	17. Interlude 3: Present Day, Chrono

Hello, again! Sorry about the late update. (Forgive me readers, for I have procrastinated. It has been 5 days since my last update…) (grins and snickers) Okay, that was just so called for. So then, on with the chapter!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, 5, or 16.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 13 November 2005

**Present Day, Chrono**

I fell out of the portal with a whoosh of breath, and lay there, panting, for several moments before I heard a door open and someone knelt next to me. They helped me to sit up, and I found that it was Father Remington, Sister Kate, and the Elder.

"Chrono? Are you alright?" –Remington.

"What about the portal? Did it work?" –the Elder.

"What about Rosette? Did you see her?" –Sister Kate. I held one hand to my spinning head, the other coming out in front of me to stem the flood of questions. They tapered to a halt in a second, as did the world's whirling around me, and I began to answer them one at a time.

"Yes, I'll be fine in a second." I said. "Yes, the portal worked- I ended up in Eden in 1870. And yes, I saw Rosette- just as my younger self got shot with a Gospel on accident." They all blinked at me, mouths hanging open.

"What?" Sister Kate asked after a second. "What do you mean, your younger self got shot with a Gospel?" I nodded.

"I remember it well." I admitted. "I was out for about 2 days in a pool of Astral to attempt to reconstruct my abdomen after it got blown apart by a holy bullet, shot by Aion. I recall that when I woke up at last, Aion told me that he had seen something that looked like a lower-class Legion in human guise and, thinking it a Pursuer, had shot at it, but I accidentally got in the way. Now I know who that 'Pursuer' was. It was me." I held a hand to the right side of my face, pulling my singed hair away to expose severely burned skin. They all cringed. "I got too close to the blast just now, and got burned. Either that was a Spirit, or Shader was messing with the Gospel bullets, 'cause I don't think that it should've affected me so badly from 10 feet away." The Elder shook his head in bewilderment.

"Chrono, my boy, you've just done something that no being has ever done before- you've traversed the rivers of time and space, come out intact, and even brought back proof of it!" he exclaimed, quickly becoming excited. I nodded, brushing him off as I turned back to the mission at hand.

"As soon as my face heals in a couple of days, I'm going back again." I announced. My voice lessened to where I was muttering determinedly under my breath, "And this time, I'm going to bring them all back to where they truly belong."

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Okay, then, yet another chappie done.Sorry for the shortness, but it was just an interlude, after all. KK, I've got to go. I might not update for a few days on account of homework and the such, but I plan on finishing the typing of this story soon. Then there'll be pretty regular updates. But what does Chrono mean by, 'And this time, I'm going to bring them all back to where they truly belong'? Stay tuned to find out! Oh, yeah, and please review! 

-Fanatic


	18. Scene 15: Past, Eden, Rosette

Argh! Another late update! Again, I must apologize. I've been really busy lately. So here's a good, long chapter for all of you who were waiting, and thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** One swear word and a lot of grammar problems on Rosette's part. XD

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, 5, or 16.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore  
**By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 20 November 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

I watched as the blackness around me faded away to gray, and then white, and suddenly, the floating sensation of unconsciousness vanished to give way to the hazy phase before awareness. With a burst of determination, I pushed through the rest of the way and opened my eyes, only to see a blur of white, tan, and blonde.

"Rosette? Are you awake?" a feminine voice asked. It was Mary, and she sounded worried.

"Myeeeeeh… Lemme sleep five more minnits, Chrono…" I muttered, disgruntled. As my vision cleared further, I could make out the smiling faces of Aion and Mary, and I grunted again, trying to sit up despite an oncoming headache.

"Wha' happened?" I asked through a yawn. "How long've I been out?" They exchanged a glance, and recollection dawned on me with a feeling of anger, directed at the white-haired demon to my right. I turned my gaze onto him, and he fidgeted lightly.

"You. Shot. Chrono." I stated slowly, my eyes narrowing and my voice a low growl. "You. Stole. My gun." I took a breath just before I exclaimed, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" I would have jumped on him and begun strangling him, had Mary not intervened.

"Rosette, don't wake the children!" she reprimanded me quietly. I blinked, and finally took notice of the tiny bundles, one tucked in on either side of me. I blanched as their faces tensed, and held my breath until they relaxed again. Then I turned to Aion again.

"But really, what were you thinking?" I hissed. He looked away, seeming ashamed.

"It was supposed to be a prank as revenge for the last one you and Chrono pulled on me." he explained. "I was going to abduct your gun and then you'd chase Chrono around, thinking that he took it. But just as you started chasing him, I saw something near the clotheslines. It was a demon in the guise of a 12-year-old human. I thought that it was a Pursuer or a lower-class Legion, so I shot at it with your gun…" He looked back up at me, and I could see true remorse and guilt swimming in his violet gaze. "Chrono accidentally ran into the path of the bullet just as it reached that point…" Suddenly something clicked in my mind, and I actually gasped aloud. They blinked at me as my eyes grew wide and I held a hand to my mouth.

"What?" Mary asked, concern beginning to crease her brow. "Is something wrong, Rosette? Is it your soul?" I shook my head, and turned to Aion again.

"Aion! What did you say this demon looked like?" I exclaimed. He blinked a couple of times, and rubbed his chin as he thought.

"He had long purple hair that was mostly pulled back into a braid, and when I got close enough to see, he had red eyes, and wore a red coat of some sort…" he murmured. "Come to think of it, he looked kind of like Chrono would in a 12-year-old's body." I paled, and looked down at my blanket-covered lap.

"Oh, applesauce!" I exclaimed.

"What?"

"That was Chrono! That was the one from my time!" I explained, fists clenching. "He probably found a way to get back through to this time when I disappeared… if that's the case, he'll probably be back in a few days to try again." I looked up at them, my eyes bright. "I'm going home…!"

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Okay, then, Rosette has finally figured out that she's going to go home soon. There's only a medium number of chapters left to do, now. I hope you liked this one, though! Please bear with me, and review, too! XD Talk to you next chapter!

-Fanatic


	19. Scene 16: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay. It turned into a double update 'cause you guys are so great and I've been depriving you for too long. I was going to put this one up earlier (it's now about 9:20 p.m.- I was going to put it up around 3-ish), but I had to clean up my room, and then my internet connection went down the metaphorical drain. (grins sheepishly) Sorry 'bout that. And, unfortunately, I do not currently have a working scanner (stupid virus deleted all the software I needed to properly use it! -growl, snarl-), so I'll try to get the piccies to everyone who wanted them soon. I just have to get the software that goes with the scanner back on my computer… ;.; So they should be coming (hopefully!) soon. Mmkay, then, here's the chappie!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** There is some angst in this chapter, don't like, don't read. Oh, yeah, and really, really crappy grammar on Aidan and Adrian's parts. ;-P But that's excusable.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 20 November 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

Chrono was so pale. That was all I could think about as I gazed at his motionless form, floating in a pool of pure Astral. I knelt next to him and ran my fingers over his ashen cheek, my gaze searching his face for any signs that might indicate him waking up. Finding none, I glanced down at his midriff, which still hadn't healed much- the holy energy from the Gospel was preventing that from happening at the normal rate- and I closed my eyes, wondering if it was right to pray for a demon. With a small smile, I looked over to my young children, sitting on either side of me, gazing down at their father.

"Aidan? Adrian?" I called softly, and they looked up at me with wide, bright eyes.

"Momma?" they asked in unison. My grin widened.

"Maybe, if you talk loud enough, daddy'll hear you." I said. They beamed in excitement and the prospect of being able to help Chrono.

"Wha' do we say?" they asked as best they could. I removed my hand from my lover's cheek and put my arms around my children's shoulders.

"Just say what I say, okay?"

"O-tay!" I closed my eyes and began to recite one of my favorite Bible verses, Psalm 23.

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shalt not be in want."

"Da LORD is my sepewd, I won' bee in wan'." they repeated in unison.

"He maketh me lie down in green pastures,"

"He makes me wie dow' in gween pastews."

"he leadeth me beside quiet waters, he restoreth my soul."

"He weads me 'side quiet watews, he give' me mie sowl."

"He guideth me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

"He guides me in pafs of wight-us-nes fow his name's sake."

"Yea, though I walketh through the valley of the shadow of death,"

"Yeah, doh I wawk fwough da vawwey of da shadow uv deaf." I began to laugh sadly as I continued,

"I shalt feareth no evil, for thou art with me;"

"I won' feaw no evil, fow you awer wif me."

"thy rod and thy staff, they comforteth me."

"Yowew wod and yowew staff, dey comfowt me."

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies."

"You set a tabew befowe me in the middew of my enuhmees."

"Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup overfloweth."

"You an-…an-…anoynt my head wif oiyal; my cup wuns ovew."

"Surely goodness and love shalt follow me all the days of my life,"

"Shewwy gewdness and wove will fowwow me all da days of my wife," -I grinned at this one-

"and I shalt dwelleth in the house of the LORD forever."

"And I'ww staay in da hooouse of da LORD fowevew."

"Amen."

"Ay-men!" They ended the final stanza in a half-shout, giddy with memorization of the familiar verse, and I repeated it to myself, directing my thoughts towards my prone lover, floating in a pool of glowing green, violet hair fanning out around his head.

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shalt not

be in want.

He maketh me to lie down in green

pastures,

he leadeth me beside quiet waters,

he restoreth my soul.

He guideth me in paths of

righteousness

for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walketh

through the valley of the shadow of

death,

I shalt feareth no evil,

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff,

they comforteth me.

Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies.

Thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup overfloweth.

Surely goodness and love shalt followeth

me

all the days of my life,

and I shalt dwelleth in the house of the

LORD

forever. Amen."

* * *

Okay, I added in the Bible verse (Shakespeare-ian style!)because I thought that it was really pretty, and it sounded like it could be used as a prayer for a dying person, too. X3 

BTW, to those of you who think that the timelines are going to change (like Rosette going back into the past changing things in her rightful time), you do not have to worry, for when Rosette goes back (Chrono did say he would bring them back), nothing will have changed. See, whatever happens between Rosette and the others back in this time has already happened in the future, so therefore, nothing would have changed because it would have already occurred. And the when Chrono said 'And this time, I'll bring them all back to were they truly belong', he meant that he would bring back Rosette, Aidan, and Adrian to the future, because he already knew that he had two children.

Please forgive me for doing all this to Chrono, but it makes for good bonding and angst. XD Mmkay, I have to go. Please review!

-Fanatic


	20. Scene 17: Past, Eden, Rosette

Wow-ee! It's been a really-freaking-long time since I last updated! (whistles) I'm so sorry, guys. I was grounded. (cries) I'm so, so, so, so sorry! I'll try not to let it happen again! So this is going to be a double- or triple-update, depending on how long the chapters are. Enjoy!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 5 December 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

They had removed him from the Astral about two hours ago. Now, he was resting in his room, and I was sitting in the chair next to his bed, Adrian and Aidan asleep in my lap. I smiled to myself. They had fallen into slumber after I had fed them, while waiting for their father to wake. For toddler-sized, one-month-old half-demons, they sure could act very infantile sometimes. A sudden motion from the bed caught my attention, and I shifted Adrian to my left arm with Aidan so that I could place my hand on Chrono's right arm.

"Chrono…?" I asked quietly, afraid to wake him if he was just shifting in his sleep. A strained grunt was my answer, and ruby eyes fluttered to a state of half-openness.

"Rose… Rose…ette…?" he breathed, and I found my face breaking into a relieved smile.

"Yes, Chrono, it's me." I replied, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He jerked at my touch, his head lolling from side to side.

"Rose… Rosette… run…" he murmured. "There's… demons… trying… attack…" I felt my features contort as I realized that he was delirious, and I reached out with my thoughts, trying to get a hold of Shader.

'_Shader, he's awake!'_ I shouted once I was sure I could make her listen. '_But he's delusional.'_

_-Alright, I'll be right there.-_ came her reply, and I nodded slightly, rising carefully to my feet and settling my children onto the bed next to their father.

"Chrono, hold still, alright?" I asked softly, leaning down and cupping his face in my hands, my nose inches from his own. His eyes rolled half-coherently under partially-open lids, but his breathing slowed, and he seemed to calm slightly.

"But… the demons…" he murmured. I transferred a finger from his cheek to his lips, and shushed him.

"There aren't any demons, Chrono, other than the other Sinners and your own children." I crooned comfortingly, and he relaxed a bit more. "Now, lay still before you tear your wound even more and wake up Aidan and Adrian." He nodded faintly- he could only half-understand me- and halted in most of his motions, save for his head's lolling and his breathing. I smiled a bit, and slowly lifted him up a bit before climbing in behind him and resting his head and shoulders in my lap. I gently pulled our son and daughter up to cuddle them against my sides before beginning to run my fingers through my lover's violet hair. He closed his eyes all the way at the sensation, and though I could feel his fever through my dress and his hair, I couldn't stop the motion. It was oddly soothing, not only to him, but to me, as well.

I looked over at Aidan and Adrian after a while, taking in their hair colors and the shapes of their faces and the hues of their skin. Aidan had a light violet color for her hair, a lavender only a few shades darker than silver, and her skin was a pale sort of peach color, much like my own- underneath her now closed eyelids, I knew that she possessed blue eyes that matched the color of my habit. Adrian had a shade of hair that rivaled his father's in its darkness, and his skin, though slightly darker than Aidan's, had a mild tannish hue to it. I knew that my son would take after Chrono in his looks, even if the only thing he inherited from me was his indigo eyes, the same color as Joshua's. I had been slightly surprised when their eyes had remained indigo like mine- surely they would have turned crimson, right?- but I had to admit, the color did look good on them.

When the door suddenly opened, I looked up, watching as Shader came in with a washcloth and basin full of cold water. I smiled at her from across the room, and she returned it before setting the bowl on the nightstand and pressing her hand to the male demon's forehead.

"Maa, maa, Chrono, a fine mess you've gotten yourself into…" she muttered with a roll of her eyes before meeting my gaze. "He'll have to sweat it out." With that, she reached down and pulled the blanket and quilt up to his neck, though not without checking his wound first. It was healing, finally, and it seemed like he didn't have long to wait before he'd be able to be up and about again. Shader nodded with satisfaction.

"Good, good." she announced. "He's almost finished. All that needs to be done now is wait for his fever to break. Then it's up to him." I nodded, and reached over, wetting the cloth before folding it and placing it on his forehead.

"Maa, Rozetto-chan…" she said as I settled myself back down again and looked up at her. "I figured out a way… to reverse the flow of the Astral through the clock…"

* * *

Okay, there's chapter 20. (Wow, this is the longest chapter-story I've ever written, and that's saying a lot!) If you feel like reviewing this chappie, then go ahead an click the clickery clicker-thingy in the clicker-tastic lower-right-hand clickery corner, and have some clickery good fun in sending me a clickery great review! If not, then feel free to read the next chapter. (grins)

-Fanatic

P.S. Can't you tell I like the word clicker?


	21. Scene 18: Past, Eden, Chrono

Okay, here's the next chapter that I promised. It's a long 'un, so I don't think I'll update for a couple more days, but I hope that this'll sate your need for Chrono Crusade for a little while. (grins) Okay, on with the show!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** Some mild Chrono/Rosette fluff in this one. Hope you like!

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

* * *

**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 5 December 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Chrono**

I pushed through the fog of unconsciousness and the heat of the fever with some difficulty, finally forcing open leaden eyes to gaze upon the world around me. My head was resting on something soft, something warm and moving on either side of me. I could faintly smell… milk, of some kind, but it was overpowered by the scent of sweat and blood. Sweat and blood, I realized, that belonged to me. A sudden motion from above me and some shifting from the thing beneath my head and shoulders had my nerves on edge, but I relaxed when I heard her soothing voice.

"Ssh, Chrono, it's okay. It's me, Rosette." she said. As my eyes came into focus, I could make out her face and her blonde hair, framed by her habit and Militia uniform. "Easy, now. Your fever just broke. Rest." She set something cool and wet on my forehead, the blessed cold seeping into my skin and quenching some of the heat in my body.

"How… how long was I out…?" I croaked. She smiled a little, brushing my bangs away from my eyes.

"It's been about 2 days since you were shot." she replied softly. "We just got you out of the Astral about 4 or so hours ago." I closed my eyes in realization.

"Damn." was all I said, but she laughed, anyway, just as the door to the room opened and Aion poked his head in. As I opened my eyes and watched, his expression split into a relieved smile when he saw that I was awake.

"Chrono, you're awake!" he exclaimed. I sent a glare his way, a loud, obnoxious pounding growing in my head.

"Aion, shut up." I growled. Surprisingly, he complied, and settled for parking himself in a nearby chair. All was silent for a matter of moments, save for the soft, deep breathing of my son and daughter on either side of me. Then, Aion spoke.

"Chrono, I… I must apologize for shooting you." he said quietly, even for my ears. I blinked and glanced over to him. "I didn't mean to." There was pure regret and sadness in those violet pools of his, and I found myself believing him- there was no reason not to. "There was some kind of… other demon, or something. It looked like you would if your human guise was that of a 12-year-old. I thought it was a Pursuer, or a Legion, or something, so I shot at it with Rosette's gun… you got in the way, and…" I nodded, and he silenced himself after a second.

"I know, Aion. I know." I replied, and both he and Rosette looked down at me with a bat of the eyes. "I sensed him. That's why I ran in that direction. But I never expected you to have Rosette's gun, let alone shoot at him." I closed my eyes briefly as my lover's hand stilled. "You're… gonna have to leave soon… aren't you, Rosette?" When she didn't reply and didn't pick up her previous motions again, I opened my eyes and looked up at her, reading the affirming guilt etched into her features.

"Yes… he'll come back in a matter of days, most likely…" she responded. "Once his wounds from the Gospel's radiation heal, he'll come for me… and I'll have to go…" I felt my heart sink at the notion, but shook it off, deciding that I should enjoy the time we had left together while it lasted. We were all silent again, choosing to mull things over, gather our thoughts before we had to speak again.

"Well, I'll leave you two… four… alone, now." Aion suddenly announced, and lifted himself to his feet, heading towards the door. Rosette and I blinked at his retreating back, confounded beyond belief, but he didn't do anything more save closing the wooden slat behind him. All was silent for a few moments, save my family's breathing mingling with the sounds of my own.

"You know… sometimes, he can be kind of sweet… even if it does go against all I had previously conceived about him." she finally murmured, and I looked back up at her. She didn't say anything else, but I could sense that she wanted to speak something more.

"Rosette? What is it?" I prompted her. She eventually tilted her head down at me to meet my gaze before allowing her sapphire eyes to slide over to Aidan.

"I'm… not so sure that I want to go back, anymore." This truly stunned me to the bone.

"But… you wanted so badly to go back, when you first came here…" I began. "You would talk for hours about what your time is like. Are you sure that you wouldn't want to go back to where… where you belong…?" With a great effort and a cringe on my part, I raised my hand to rest my fingertips on her cheek, turning her head so that sapphire clashed with ruby, a mix of fire and water that was so dissimilar, and yet, one in the same. "Rosette, tell me." She took a breath, and took her hands away from my hair to grasp my trembling hand, pressing it into her cheek.

"I have a life here, now." she answered at long last. "I have you, and Aidan and Adrian, and the other Sinners and Mary, too. You're all my family, just as much as the nuns at the convent in my time. It would destroy me, to have to go back there, where… where everything is so… so… _different_." I felt my brow crease a bit, but I nodded in comprehension.

"If you have to go back… remember that I'll always love you, okay?" I found myself saying. She smiled a little down at me, sadness and appreciation gleaming in the tears that swam in her indigo eyes.

"I'll remember… always. And you do the same." she commanded. "And Chrono?" I nodded to show that I was listening. "Do me a favor, and don't ever forget me and Aidan and Adrian, ok?" She reached down with her free hand and gently touched my chest- over my heart- before continuing. "Keep us safe, right here. Don't ever let us go." I smiled a little, eyes half-closing as I lapsed partially into thought.

"I'll keep you safe in my heart, and I will die before I let you go." I looked up into her eyes. "I promise you, with God as my witness." Her smile broadened a little, and she leaned into my hand, turning her head to kiss my palm lightly before allowing my fingers to curl around her cheek again. I soon found myself slipping into slumber once more, as she began to sing. However, a thought wormed its way to the forefront of my mind, and I opened my eyes, just as she finished her song.

"Rosette?"

"Yeah?"

"What about your lifespan?" She smiled again.

"Shader found a way for the Astral to flow both ways through the Watch." Those words were ones that I had been dreaming of hearing since I first found out that her time was nearly up, and I sighed in relief.

"Thank God…" I murmured, and then I knew no more.

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There's chapter 21 for y'all. Hope you liked it. (winks) Please review! I hafta go, but I'll update again soon! Bye-bye!

-Fanatic


	22. Scene 19: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay, sorry for the very, very long wait. It's been pretty busy around here, but I have to admit, it was mostly my fault for procrastinating. I apologize profusely to everyone who has had to wait so very long for me to get off of my fat arse and post this chapter. Oh yeah, Merry Christmas!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** Chrono is the Sinner of Anger. He needs anger management. (winks)

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

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**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 25 December 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

I watched as Aidan and Adrian tackled Aion and Genai to the ground, laughing all the way, narrowly missing a nearby basket of clothes. From my left side, I heard Mary giggle softly.

"They're a riot, aren't they?" she asked good-naturedly. I nodded with a grin.

"Tell me about it." I replied with a laugh. "The other day, they pulled this really good prank on Aion- oh, GENAI, WATCH OUT!" The good-natured demon was rolling around on the ground in an effort to get away from my children. In his haste he had rolled into a laundry basket and was now attempting to get himself untangled from the various articles of clothing that he was now twisted in.

'_Chrono isn't going to like that…'_ I thought, a drop of sweat sliding down the side of my face at the thought of my fiancé when he was angry. Sure enough, in a second there started a loud growl from the other side of the clothes lines from me and Mary, and I pulled aside a sheet to catch a glimpse of Chrono. He was livid. His eyes were practically glowing golden, hands clenched at his sides as he attempted to calm his anger, horns sprouting from either side of his head as his clothes changed and his ears elongated. His headband vanished, the three jewels adorning his forehead appearing in a flash. Jaw set, long fangs bared, he took one stomping step towards Genai, wings unfurling with a loud crack as he made his way over to his wayward friends and children.

"**_GENAI!_**" Chrono shouted, a vein popping in his forehead. Aidan and Adrian looked up at their father, their expressions swiftly turning to ones of fright, and they scrambled away from their uncles, deciding to attempt a mad dash past Chrono. However, they were unsuccessful as his hands flashed out to one side, vertebrae tail whipping out to the other, and wrapped them around both twins. Adrian was caught in the tail, Aidan squirming in his arms. I started forward, my hand on my gun. I had never seen him this furious- save the time he went berserk in San Francisco- and I didn't know what he would do. If he hurt the twins…

However, my worry was for naught, as a sudden shriek of laughter rang out from Aidan, Chrono's hands running frantically over her sides in twisting motions. Adrian was being given the same treatment by Chrono's tail, the sharp point of its tip blunted for the moment. After a little while, he set the twins down so that they could scurry back to me, and resumed his march on Genai, eyes glowing golden once more. The other demon, seeing this, tried to escape like my children had done, but his efforts were as fruitless as Aidan and Adrian's had been. The Pocket Watch crackled with power against my breastbone, and I glanced down at it, blinking. Was Chrono angered enough to break the Seal? I felt all color leech out of my face. Didn't Shader make it so that Astral could flow both ways? What if he would accidentally drain my soul? I didn't have time to call out before he fired an Astral blast at Genai, and I was sent to my knees with a gasp. From where he was now strangling Genai, Chrono looked over, and upon seeing my condition, he dropped the other demon and was at my side in an instant, worry and concern etched into his features.

"Rosette?" he asked, tone laced with panic. I breathed heavily, clutching at my chest as an unfamiliar sensation coursed through my body. It was a rush of adrenaline; the only things I could compare it to were the sensations I felt when I was in Chrono's arms or in a battle. It left me feeling energized to a point where I felt like jumping up and down in glee, and I glanced at the Watch to see that it had snapped open, my heartbeat sounding out of it, pulsing in time with the throbbing in my chest. Only one thing was different from when I usually opened the Seal: the Clock's hands were moving backwards from normal. My life was lengthening. My eyes were wide with joy and astonishment, and a bit of excitement, as I looked up into my lover's golden eyes.

"My life… it's…" I gasped out, just before everything went black.

"**_ROSETTE!_**"

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Okay, that's done. Hope you liked it!(Does anyone here sense a little dramatic irony?)And like I said, Chrono does need anger management and he also needs to learn some responsibility. (nods sagely)I have to update again, now, so read and review! Merry Christmas!

-Fanatic

P.S. Does anyone on here like Naruto?


	23. Scene 20: Past, Eden, Rosette

Okay, here's that second chapter I promised. I hope you like it and again, I'm sorry for the incredible lateness.

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_ **For all you fans of Chrono/Rosette steaminess out there, this chapter is for you. It gets pretty steamy after all the angst. (winks)

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

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**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 25 December 2005

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

When I finally came to, I opened my heavy eyes, only to see a blur of violet and crimson hovering over me.

"Rosette! You're awake!" It was Chrono. I blinked a couple of times before moving to sit up, only to feel two strong hands on my shoulders pushing me back down.

"Chrono, let me up!" I exclaimed. "Of course I'm awake, you sap!" He frowned at me, and I allowed myself to be pushed back down with a huff of indignation.

"Rosette, you fainted." he said, looking away when I looked up at him. "Before that, you said something about your life… I'm sorry, Rosette." I blinked. Why did he seem so guilty?

'_I haven't told him, yet…'_ I realized with a small laugh. His gaze was drawn by my mirth, and when I had stopped giggling, I pulled him down into a tight hug, my arms around his neck and my cheek touching his own. When I felt his arms encircle me hesitantly a second later, I turned my head and kissed his cheek before turning back.

"I didn't get to finish." I whispered in his ear, gently stroking the pointed tip of it in reassurance. "I'm going to be alright. My life… is being restored." He gasped a little, pulling out of the embrace to look me in the eyes. I could tell he was searching them for falsehood, but I had nothing to hide- I was telling the truth. After a few seconds, he pulled me back to him, and I barely caught a glimpse of sparkling tears in his eyes before he buried his face in my neck.

"Thank God… Thank God…" he said, repeating it over and over again, like a mantra. "Rosette… you're going to live…" I found myself smiling.

"Yes, Chrono… I'm going to live." I breathed. Something hot and wet dripped onto my bare shoulder, where my night shirt had slipped down, and I felt his shoulders shaking for a few moments while he cried tears of joy. I felt my own tears forming, and as I looked out at the empty room- Aidan and Adrian must have been with Mary and Shader or someone else- I couldn't help but be thankful for everything that had happened. I heard the Watch crackling again from where it rested on the bedside table, and in a second, I also heard the sound of it snapping open, accompanied by a rush of energy that made me gasp. I felt my lover's form changing under my hands and arms, his clothes changing from the Indian style cloak, vest, and pants, to his battle dress. I felt his wings come out of his back, and, moving a hand to the back of his head, I felt his ears elongating and his horns appearing. When I pulled away a little to look into his golden eyes, I found them to be bloodshot and tear-filled. I vaguely gestured to his new form with my eyes, raising one eyebrow in mild amusement.

"What's with the transformation?" I asked. He smiled gently.

"I guess that… I couldn't contain my emotions in my other form." he replied, and I smiled before kissing him deeply, passionately. He froze for a second, and I pulled away just enough to murmur against his lips,

"Chrono, could you lock the door?" before pulling him down again. I felt his smile. He lifted an arm towards the door, and I heard the telltale click of the lock closing before his hands came down to glue themselves to my sides. A few moments passed, and I pulled away from his mouth to plant a trail of wet kisses down along his jaw line.

"Rosette…" he moaned softly into my ear, spurring me on. "Rosette… Should we really… be doing this…? You just woke up… after all…" I huffed quietly into his tufted ear, nipping gently on the lobe in mild punishment for the statement.

"I'm not an invalid, Chrono." I breathed to him, slipping his jacket off of his shoulders and raising my left knee to rest against his side. "We haven't made love since before you left to find Pandaemonium's head. This is the first time we've been alone together since I had the kids and you got back." I pulled back to look into his eyes, the haze of passion beginning to cloud them. "I say we use it to our advantage, ne?" He grinned, just before he dove down for another kiss, slipping my night shirt down off of me around my shoulders, leaving me in nothing but my birthday suit. In a matter of seconds, he was dressed in the same way- meaning he wasn't dressed at all- and, just before the mist of ardor, love, and pleasure dissolved my vision, I glimpsed another tear sliding down his cheek to fall onto my shoulder. Then all I knew was me, and him, and the love that we had surrounding each other.

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Hmm, a bit steamy in that one. Well, there's your Christmas present, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it. (grins) Okay, I hafta go to bed, now, so goodnight! And please be kind enough to read and review? 

-Fanatic

P.S. Again I ask, does anyone reading this story know about and/or like Naruto? If so, I need some help deciding on something. I'm writing a story, but I can't decide whether the pairings should be SasuSaku, NaruSaku, NaruOC, or SasuOC. I don't do yaoi or yuri, but I can't decide between two of those pairings. I think it's going to be SasuSaku and NaruOC, or NaruSaku and SasuOC. There's definitely going to be some KakaOC, though, so just let me know what y'all think if you like Naruto, mmkay?


	24. Interlude 4: Present Day, Chrono

Heya, guys! Happy New Years to everyone! It's finally 2006… scary, ain't it? Ah, well. Here's a short chappie.

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

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**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 12:00 AM 1 January 2006

**Present Day, Chrono**

I stood before the portal, my expression set into grim determination. I was going back; I was going to see all my old friends again. And I didn't know what would happen. As the Elder flipped the switch, a bright pinprick of light spread from the center of the ring out to touch its sides, lapping against the edges as would a luminescent, vertical lake. The ripples in the time-space continuum were clearly visible in its white mass, the undulating surface strangely hypnotizing. With one glance back at Sister Kate, Father Remington, the Elder, and the rest of the convent's inhabitants- who had come to see me off and greet us when we returned- I waved goodbye through the containment field, and turned before stepping through the portal. Stepping through to my past, and future.

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Okay, shortie there. I hafta go, but please read and review! And also, Happy New Years!

-Fanatic


	25. Scene 21: Past, Eden, Rosette

Ah, at long last, we've (sadly) come to the third-to-last chapter. I'm sorry, guys! (cries) This is the longest chapter yet, though, so I hope you all enjoy it greatly! Happy New Year! ;.;

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** There's some angst in here. Okay, a lot of angst. And a lot of tears. Don't like, don't read, though I guarantee you'll want to if you wanna find out the ending of the 'past' part ofthe fic.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

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**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 12:15 AM 1 January 2006

**Past, _Eden_, Rosette**

I stretched languidly, raising my arms above my head and breathing deeply of the cool, fresh air of the mountainous area that _Eden_ was currently flying over. My blue and tan Militia uniform fluttered around me, my habit engulfing my shoulders and waist. Aidan and Adrian leaned up against my sides, taking a short catnap. Their horns poked out of their hair on either side of their heads- so much like Chrono's that it almost hurt to think of it- and their small, pointed ears twitched lightly in the breeze. They would have looked human save for the horns and ears, their small wings concealed by half-mastered human guises that they had instinctively formed when they were born. I smiled gently, lifting my hands to lightly brush their bangs away from their faces. Struck by a sudden thought, I chuckled a bit.

'_Before I came here, I'd probably be on a mission right now, or giving Sister Kate a stomach cramp or headache, or I'd be screaming or shouting at Chrono and Anna and Mary and Claire, or something like that…'_ I sighed slightly.

"Those were the old days…" I said out loud. "I had so much energy back then…" I grinned in a cat-like manner. "I'll have to work on getting back to that state…" A glance at my children to either side, however, made my grin soften, and I settled down again. "But I'll wait until these two are awake, first…"

"Who're you talking to, Rosette?" asked a deep tenor voice from behind me. I grinned, and turned around to greet Chrono.

"Hey, Chrono, what's up?" He shrugged with a small smile.

"Nothing much." He sat down next to Aidan with a small plop, and we were silent for a second, watching our children sleep.

"You know… if demons can't go to Heaven… I think I'd rather stay right here." he murmured after a while, causing my grin to widen a bit before shrinking.

"Ne, Chrono?" I asked, my fingers brushing over Aidan and Adrian's foreheads simultaneously. He looked at me with a blink of his eyes. "In the Magdalan Order… we're taught that only believers will be saved. …Do you believe in God?" He smiled gently, and reached up, running his fingertips over my cheek before pushing my own blonde fringe back behind my ear- my hair had grown out quite a bit over the past 7 months- and then he lowered his hand to rest it in the crook of my neck.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." he replied after a while. "He brought you here… He gave us Aidan and Adrian… He's done so much that I once thought would be impossible, I can't help but believe in Him." As I looked into his crimson eyes, I could see truth, and a true, rock-solid belief growing in him. I smiled. We were silent once more in the warm air.

For a while, nothing moved. The breeze blew past us, ruffling clothes and hair, setting our hearts aflame, the point where his hand met my neck burning and freezing at the same time. I felt my breath begin to get short, pure ecstasy coursing through me, but I shook my head after a little and pulled away from his hand. He withdrew it, looking slightly hurt, but I winked at him, shooting him a mockingly scolding look.

"Chrono, not in front of the kids!" I hissed teasingly. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." we said in unison, and then burst out into quiet laughter. We silenced ourselves in a little, and turned back to watching the clouds roll by, until a bright flash of light lit the area from behind us. Chrono was on his feet in an instant, body transforming into that of his true form, and I woke the twins before rising and drawing my gun, as well. The light coalesced into a single point, growing larger and larger as I heard Aion, Genai, Rizelle, Viede, Shader, and Mary running towards us from my left.

The white portal glowed brightly behind his small form silhouetting his figure as a dark, blurry shape. As I watched, the portal shrank rapidly, until it was only a pinprick of light against the darker blue of the sky. I gasped at the sight of a familiar, long-missed face, and I took a couple of hesitant steps forward as the other Sinners and Mary looked on in confusion.

"C… Chrono…?" I breathed. His eyes falling upon me, his face split into a broad grin, just as the portal behind him widened once again and another figure stepped through, one that I knew well- the one that had haunted my dreams and nightmares for 4 years. The gate diminished again, and I dashed forth, pulling them both into a tight embrace. I felt tears well up and spill forth from my eyes because I was so happy to see them after so long.

"Joshua… Chrono…" I whispered in their ears, my head between theirs as they returned my hug.

"Hey, Sis. Long time, no see!" Joshua said with a laugh.

"I'm glad you're alright, Rosette." Chrono added. I could hear his grin, and I pulled away, suddenly remembering our audience, taking my brother and Contractor's hands and dragging them back over to the Sinners, Mary, and Aidan and Adrian, who were hiding behind Chrono's legs, their heads peeking out around them. My lover had one clawed hand on each twin's shoulder, his guard still up.

"Daddy?" I heard Aidan ask, before Adrian continued with, "Who'we dey?" Chrono shook his head in bewilderment, and the Chrono from my time flashed me a smile.

"Maybe they'd recognize me better in my other form?" he suggested to me, and I blinked. Did he…? Before my eyes, my partner's 12-year-old body began to change with a feral cry, his ears elongating, his horns sprouting out of his hair, the three gems appearing on his forehead and one eye turning golden. In a matter of seconds, next to me stood a nearly exact replica of my lover from this time. However, a gasp escaped everyone's lips when we saw the differences.

His left eye was a bright yellow the whole way through, scar tissue covering a good deal of that half of his face, and his right arm, though strong, was hard, spiked at the shoulder, evidence of a hard, costly battle. So, his legion still had not been able to fully heal those wounds…

"Is this somewhat better?" His deep voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I nodded before taking a couple steps forward, placing myself between my brother and partner, and my friends, children, and lover. With a small, sad, yet proud smile, I gestured to the two from my rightful time.

"Guys, this is my brother, Joshua, and my partner and Contractor, Chrono, 'The Sinner', 'the Broken Horn', 'the One they Cast Down', etc." I said, and then I gestured to the ones from this time. "Chrono, Joshua, these are Aion, Genai, Viede, Rizelle, Shader, Mary, and Chrono the Sinner… from this time." I walked over to my lover, and bent next to him, lifting Aidan and Adrian onto each hip as I straightened. I gave this Chrono a long, sad look in the eyes before I turned back to the two newcomers.

"Aidan, Adrian, meet your Uncle Joshua… and…" I cast a glance between the Chronos, who were studying each other closely. "And… your daddy. From my time." My son and daughter looked up at me in confusion.

"But momma, daddy's-" Adrian started.

"-wight hewe." Aidan finished. They were both pointing at the Chrono from this time. I sighed in resignation, not quite ready to explain everything at the moment. Instead, I set them down in front of me and knelt down until my gaze was even with theirs.

"Aidan, Adrian…" I began, pausing to gather my thoughts before pushing on. "You and mommy are going to have to leave _Eden_. We… have to go away for a long time, okay?" Their faces took on even deeper expressions of confusion.

"Bu' wha' 'bou' Unk Ai?" Aidan started.

"And daddy, an' Auntie Wizewwe, an' Auntie Mawy, and Auntie S'adew?" Adrian continued.

"An' Unka Denai an' Unka Vid?" they both finished in unison. "Awuh dey gonna come, too?" I sniffed a little, blinking away tears, and shook my head slowly.

"No, babies… no, they aren't going to come." I replied. "They'll be waiting for us when we get there." They sniffled slightly, but nodded. "Alright… go grab your blankies real quick." They solemnly nodded and walked off towards my room nearby, and I watched them go while swallowing a lump in my throat before turning to the friends I had made in this time- my family. Softly I sniffed, drying my wet cheeks on my glove, and offered them a small, sad smile.

"I… guess this is goodbye, then…" I said to them, trying to hold back my tears. Shader's ears were drooping, as were her shoulders; Aion stood, tall and proud, but I could see a hint of tears in his violet eyes; Genai had his arms around Rizelle's shoulders, both of them grim-faced; Viede was stone-like as ever, but I read the disappointment in his gaze; Mary had tears coursing down her cheeks though she bore a smile on her face. With some slight hesitance, I stepped forward, enveloping Shader in a hug, which she returned tightly.

"Don't forget, and don't ever stop believing. Thank you for everything, my sister." I whispered into her ear. I felt her nod before we let go, and then I moved on to Genai and Rizelle. I wrapped my arms around them, they doing the same to me, and I told them quietly,

"Stay the course, no matter what happens. Rizelle, you've been like a mother to me, helping me through times when I needed it the most. You helped me give birth, helped me care for Aidan and Adrian, and for all that, I must thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me." To Genai, "Genai, you filled the space of an older brother when my own was not there. You've been a great uncle to my children, a good friend, someone to argue with, a kindred spirit. Don't ever lose that attitude or temper of yours." To both of them, "Don't forget all that has happened- keep the memories alive in your hearts forever. And don't forsake each other, either." When I stepped away from them a minute later, they both had tears in their eyes, and I patted their shoulders with a reassuring smile before walking over to Mary. She embraced me tightly- one that I returned- and we were silent for a moment.

"Rosette… thank you for teaching me… how to live… and how to have hope." she whispered into my ear. I nodded with a smile, which I fought to keep on.

"And thank you, Mary, for showing me what it is like to have a sister. You've helped me to keep going in these past couple of months, you've let me confide in you. You're one of the best friends I've ever had. I'll never forget you, Mary." She nodded, too.

"And I won't forget you, either. Never, ever." I pulled back to look her in the eye, and put a hand on her cheek.

"Remember to keep your horizons broad, and never lose that hope. One day, we'll meet again. I'm sure of it." We shared a smile, weak laugh, and another hug, and then I moved on to Aion. The tall demon's white bangs were sticking to the sides of his face due to his tears, and we stood in front of each other for a moment before I hesitantly came up to him and slipped my arms around his middle. He pulled me to him, arms around my shoulders, and I leaned up so that I could tell him,

"Aion, thank you for understanding everything. You're wise beyond your years, and you've got so much responsibility on your shoulders, but you still managed to make room in your heart, mind, and soul to fit me and the twins in, next to the others. You're my big brother, Aion, and I'll never forget you. Just don't forget me, and always keep the memories of these past 7 months close to your heart, even if you bury them very, very deeply. Remember me and Aidan and Adrian. Even through the hardest times, keep the light of hope strong, and don't stray from the course." I pulled back from the hug, and looked him in the eyes, my gaze hardening to a stern, urgent tone. "Whatever you do, remember that there is always more than one way to go about doing things. Don't keep your mind and heart closed to other courses of action." As my warning ceased, he nodded, and we parted. Aidan and Adrian were returning, carrying their favorite blanket between them. I knelt down in front of them and put a hand on each of their heads before taking the blanket from them.

"Go say goodbye, now." I told them, tears blurring my vision. They nodded without a sound, and went to each Sinner and Mary in turn, giving each a heartfelt embrace and muttering their own goodbyes. In a few moments, they were back at my side, taking the blanket from me, as Chrono the Sinner, from this time, walked over to stand near us. His golden gaze met those of our children for a few moments, and then they ran forward and embraced him tightly as he knelt down. They were sobbing. He gently shushed them, rubbing their backs until they had quieted, and then he pulled away, setting one hand on each twin's cheek and looking into the indigo gazes of each in turn.

"Aidan… Adrian…" he murmured, just before he drew them to his chest again, burying his face in the tops of their heads. "Please… don't forget me or your aunts and uncles, okay? And always remember that I love you, my children." I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat, blinking back tears of my own as he softly placed a kiss on the top of each of their heads, closing his eyes briefly before parting with them and standing up. He quietly sent them over to stand with Joshua and my partner, and we watched them for a couple of minutes, unable to meet each others' gazes. After a long while, however, we tore our eyes away from our children, the products of our love, and we found that we couldn't look away from each other as gold and sapphire- light and water- mixed and clashed, sparkling with sunbeams that radiated out from the white portal that was growing behind us. A thousand and one emotions and thoughts passed between us, and slowly, very slowly, we stepped towards each other. In a flash, I was surrounded by his strong arms, not aware of crossing the distance between us, and one of his hands was resting on my head in a comforting gesture as he held me tightly to him.

"Rosette… It looks like you're going to have to leave after all…" he whispered in my ear. His face was right down next to mine, his chin nearly resting on my shoulder. My heart pounded- this was really it, I was really going to have to leave him, the Sinners, Mary… my family. Blinking back tears, I nodded.

"Yes, Chrono…" I breathed through a suddenly constricted throat. "Please… Don't stray from what you think is the right path. Do what you think is right in your heart." I pulled away from him a little, and looked into his eyes pleadingly. "Remember me… and Aidan and Adrian… okay?" He nodded, golden eyes searching mine. "Wait for me, and I will find you, no matter what."

"I'll wait forever if I have to." he proclaimed determinedly. I managed a slight smile.

"I'll see you later, then…" I couldn't tear my eyes away from his, though. _Am I doing the right thing…?_ In my mind, I nodded. _Yes. I have to go back to my time, now. If I don't, then all of this might never happen. Chrono, I'm so sorry… I love you._ He smiled a little bit as he heard my thoughts through his horns.

-_I love you, too, Rosette.-_ he replied telepathically. I leaned up one last time as he leaned down, and, as the light from the portal grew too intense to properly see, our lips met, silhouetting us in black against a backdrop of bright white. We stayed like that for a long time, letting our last kiss linger so that neither of us would ever forget it, and when we finally released each other, I gazed up into his face, tears shining in my eyes, before we let each other go and I paced towards where I could see Chrono of the Broken Horn, Joshua, Aidan, and Adrian waiting for us at the entrance to the portal. As I took my children's hands in my own, I called back to the others one last verse from the Bible, Matthew 5:1-12, to be exact.

"Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (I thought about Rizelle)

'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (I thought about Viede)

'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Shader)

'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Aion)

'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Genai)

'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mary)

'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Mary, again)

'Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Chrono)

'Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Again, Chrono)'" Then I stepped through the portal back to my time, my home, my future, hand in hand with two of the most precious people in my life.

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Okay, more than a little misty-eyed, here. ;.; (cries) And if anyone didn't figure it out, the names in parantheses ( ) after the Bible verses at the end were who she was directing the verses at at the time. Hope you liked. KK, then, I'm done. I wrote the darn thing, after all. I hope you enjoyed it a lot! And please, because there are still two more chapters left, please, please, pretty please, review? …Please…? 

-Fanatic


	26. Scene 22: Present Day, Rosette

Hello once again, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of **Return to Times of Yore**! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last one so much. I don't have long, so I have to get this posted, but I really hope you all like this one, too, short though it is!

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

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**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 5 January 2006

**Present Day, Rosette**

I felt the cold, hard ground meet with my right shoulder after what seemed to be a very, very long time, knocking the wind out of me and sending my sense of balance reeling. I could vaguely feel Aidan and Adrian in my arms, clutching their blankets and my waist tightly in their fear. After a few seconds of lying still, I opened my eyes- the world stopped spinning so violently, now- and glanced down at my children with a grin.

"Aidan? Adrian? Are you alright?" I asked quietly. Their trembling stopped. Their faces turned up towards mine, and twin sets of indigo eyes met my gaze, curious and nervous at the same time.

"Mommy?"

"Whewe awe we?" Adrian started and Aidan finished. I felt the corners of my lips quirk upwards even further, and sat up, letting them go as Chrono steadied me by placing his hands on my shoulders.

"We're home, kids. We're home." I replied, and rose to my feet as, with a flicker, a containment barrier that I hadn't noticed before turned off, and Sister Kate, Anna, Mary, Claire, and Father Remington came running in to engulf me in a huge bear hug. Adrian and Aidan hid behind my legs with small, twin growls as the 'strangers' almost tackled me. This new sound stopped the five of them in their tracks. Sister Kate, Father Remington, Anna, Mary, and Claire all blinked as they caught sight of the twin half-demons peering around my legs. Sister Kate's eyes narrowed.

"Sister Rosette, who are these two?" she asked. I felt worry growing within me, though I did not show it. Instead, I grinned, and gently coaxed Aidan and Adrian into letting go of my legs so that I could pick them up, balancing one on each hip. Looking from one to the other, I beamed at the five humans in front of me.

"Sister Kate, Father Remington, Sister Anna, Sister Mary, and Sister Claire, these are Aidan and Adrian… my son and daughter." I said. Their mouths fell open, just before Sister Kate's eyes rolled back into her head and she toppled over backwards. I panicked, as did Chrono.

"Rosette! Now look what you did!" he cried, instantly reverting back to his sealed form. I turned a glare on him.

"ME?" I exclaimed, offended. He glared right back as the rest of them sweatdropped, and I calmly set Aidan and Adrian down before pouncing on Chrono and giving him an extra-large dose of my patented 'DOUBLE-SUPER-ATOMIC-NOOGIE ATTACK OF DOOM', just as Father Remington and the others managed to revive Sister Kate. The rest of them- save Aidan and Adrian, who were quite confused to the whole thing- laughed as Chrono whimpered and tried in vain to fight me off, the Elder entering the room to join us.

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Okay, another chapter done! Next one is the last, unfortunately… ;.; It's been so fun writing this story, I almost don't want to stop! But please, read and review…

-Fanatic


	27. Epilogue: Present Day, Rosette

Okay, after a long, drawn-out period of purposeful procrastination (I didn't want to end the story so soon!) I have finally decided to post the last chapter. To be continued…? Maybe.

**_WARNING:_** See chapter 1.

**_WARNING 2:_** This is the end of the story. ;.; Don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1, chapter 5, or chapter 16.

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**Return to Times of Yore**  
By GundamWingFanatic90  
Submitted: 17 January 2006

**Present Day, Rosette**

It had been several hours already since we arrived back in my rightful time. Aidan and Adrian had fallen asleep not long before, and as I carried my little girl up to my dormitory room in my arms- Chrono was carrying our little boy- I couldn't help but feel happy with my life. I had my brother back, and his mind was fixed, too. Chrono was just the same as always, right by my side when I needed him. I had two wonderful children who loved me to death. And, of course, my life was being restored gradually, bit by bit. I smiled, genuinely grateful, as I sent a prayer of thanksgiving up to God for blessing me so. I opened my door quietly, and walked over to my bed, laying Aidan on the cushiony surface before taking Adrian from Chrono and laying him next to his sister and covering them up with their blankets. A soft smile adorned my face.

I allowed my hands to linger on my children's softly moving shoulders for a second, watching them sleep, unaware as Chrono transformed into his larger sealed form- the one that I had known for the past 7 months- though he wore different clothes. I only realized that he had done it when I felt him slip his arms around my shoulders from behind, his firm body pressing up against my back.

"Ne, Chrono, what are you doing…?" I asked. He smiled once more, turning me around in his embrace and softly kissing my lips- leaving me quite surprised- before drawing me to his chest, resting his face in my hair, and whispering,

"I told you I'd wait forever."

_**END.**_

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The end, finally! It's been so wonderful to write this story, even with all the technical difficulties that I had with it! After about 3 or more months of typing, getting my hard drive erased and losing a whole 3-4 pages of this story (basically, the whole ending), re-typing the whole ending, and trying to keep up with my schoolwork and other things, I have finally finished this story! The end result: 53 pages total, 30,862 words, and a lot of mushy stuff and drama and action. I really hope you all enjoyed it, and I'm sorry if the ending was a bit anti-climatic, or if anyone was OOC. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed (even to those of you who reviewed in different languages)! I love you all! (hands out hugs and cookies to everyone who read and reviewed) Well, I hope to hear from you some other time. Good luck with life, and Godspeed! Goodbye for now! 

-Fanatic


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